Bengaluru, India (CU)_ It was shocking news for the Kannada film industry. The leading Kannada star actor Puneeth Rajkumar passed away yesterday in a Bengaluru hospital following a heart attack, leaving his family, fans and friends shocked and grieved. He was just 46 years old at the time. The actor experienced a heart collapse while working out in a gym and was transported to Vikram Hospital in an unconscious state. Despite the doctors’ hard efforts to save him, the actor could not make it.
Basavaraj Bommai, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, expressed his condolences through a tweet on Friday afternoon. He tweeted, “I am deeply shocked that Kannada celebrity Shri Puneeth Rajkumar died of a heart attack. The death of Kannadigar’s favourite actor, Appu, has caused enormous loss to Kannada and Karnataka and I pray that God will have mercy on his soul and give his fans the power to endure this pain.”
PM Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on the death of Puneeth Rajkumar. He tweeted, “A cruel twist of fate has snatched away from us a prolific and talented actor, Puneeth Rajkumar. This was no age to go. The coming generations will remember him fondly for his works and wonderful personality. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”
According to a news agency’s Twitter statement, “Actor Puneeth Rajkumar was admitted after suffering chest pain at 11.30 am. Trying our best to treat him. His condition is serious. Can’t say anything as of now. His condition was bad when brought to the hospital, treatment in ICU: Dr Ranganath Nayak, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru.” Additionally, the hospital stated that the actor was brought in unconscious and that physicians did their utmost to treat him. Following the news, the hospital premises was crowded with hundreds of supporters and policemen, as well as there were news of shops closing and traffic congestion in Bengaluru.
Twitter has been flooded with tributes to Puneeth Rajkumar, with Chiranjeevi, Lakshmi Manchu, and Mahesh Babu among the first to post. Chiranjeevi tweeted, “Shocking, devastating and heart-breaking”. Lakshmi Manchu tweeted, “This can’t be true! How can this be?” Mahesh Babu described Puneeth Rajkumar as “One of the most humble people I’ve met and interacted with.”
The 46-year-old actor Puneeth Rajkumar was the son of the iconic actor Rajkumar, who was the super star of Kannada film industry. Puneeth was affectionately referred to as Appu and power star by his fans, following his 2002 film in which he made his lead role debut. Shiva Rajkumar, Puneeth’s elder brother, is also a well-known actor.
Puneeth was born in Lohit and started his career as a child actor in the 1976 movie Premada Kanike and Aarathi at the age of only six months. Apart from his successful film Appu, he has 29 film credits as a lead actor, including Mourya, Arasu, Raam, and Anjani Putra. He was also a vocalist as well as well-known for his dancing abilities. Puneeth first appeared on television in 2012 as the host of Kannadada Kotyadhipathi, which is a Kannada version of the reality quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Puneeth Rajkumar lived with his wife Ashwini Revanth and two kids.
