Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar passed away at a Mumbai hospital at the age of 98 on Wednesday. The actor had been facing age-related complications for some time and was hospitalised in Mumbai following episodes of breathlessness.
Kumar, known to generations of film-goers as ‘tragedy king', had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Hinduja Hospital, a non-COVID-19 facility, since Tuesday.
“He passed away due to prolonged illness at 7.30 am,” Dr Jalil Parkar, who had been treating Kumar, told PTI.
"With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, a few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him, we return," family friend Faisal Farooqui posted from the actor's Twitter handle.
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The news comes after Kumar underwent a successful pleural aspiration procedure last month. At the time, he had reportedly been diagnosed with bilateral pleural effusion-- a build-up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs for which he had been undergoing treatment in the Khar-based Hinduja Hospital.
Kumar, who was married to actor Saira Banu, was a Hindi cinema veteran and the last of the golden troika with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.
Born Yousuf Khan and often known as the Nehruvian hero, Kumar did his first film “Jwar Bhata” in 1944 and his last “Qila” in 1998, 54 years later. The five-decade career included "Mughal-e-Azam", "Devdas", "Naya Daur", and "Ram Aur Shyam", and later, as he graduated to character roles, “Shakti” and ‘”Karma”
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Tributes have started pouring in on Twitter with people from across the spectrum including politicians and actors taking to the microblogging site to mourn the loss of the actor.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pay his tributes to the "cinematic legend".
Union Minister Rajnath Singh shared his condolences. "Shri Dilip Kumar ji was an outstanding actor, a true thespian who was well regarded by everyone for his exemplary contribution to the Indian film industry," Singh wrote.
Congress's Rahul Gandhi also tweeted. "My heartfelt condolences to the family, friends & fans of Dilip Kumar ji. His extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema will be remembered for generations to come," Gandhi said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren paid his tribute.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday condoled the demise of the actor on Twitter and said his rich contributions to films would always be remembered.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also condoled the demise of the legendary actor and said his inimitable style of acting will remain engraved among film lovers for generations.
The “Mughal-e-Azam” actor had been in and out of hospitals in the last one month and the family was hoping he would get better.
(With inputs from PTI)
