Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan on Saturday condoled the untimely demise of Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar, who left for heavenly abode at the age of 46 following a cardiac arrest on Friday. Son of legendary actor Rajkumar, Puneeth died at the age of 46 following a cardiac arrest. He was admitted to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru, after experiencing chest pain, where he breathed his last. On the official Instagram handle of his production company, Aamir shared a moving statement in the loving memory of the late star.
"Appu entertained us through his films, but above all else, he won us all with his warmth, sincerity and passion. Thank you Puneeth, for all the love that you showered on all of us. May your soul rest in peace, dear friend. My heartfelt condolences and prayers to the family," the statement read. It was shared on Instagram with caption reading, "our Karnataka legend miss you."
His mortal remains were shifted to Sree Kanteerava Stadium for public viewing, where a large number of fans gathered to get one last view of their favourite actor. A heavy police force has also been deployed at the stadium to control the crowd. Celebrity friends including Rana Daggubati, Chiranjeevi, Jr. NTR, Shiva Rajkumar and Prabh Deva among others also ensured to reach the stadium in order to pay their respects to the 'Power Star'.
On Friday, many stars from the Bollywood industry and noted politicians including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai, Rahul Gandhi, Prakash Javdekar and Nirmala Sitharaman also expressed grief over his sudden demise, on social media.
Puneeth, who was also lovingly called 'Appu' and 'Power Star' by his fans, Puneeth was associated with the silver screen since he was a child. The 46-year-old actor has been the lead star in 29 films since his 2002 acting debut in 'Appu', with his last release being 'Yuvarathnaa', which came out in April earlier this year.
His other notable performances include, 'Raam', 'Hudugaru', and 'Anjani Putra'. Puneeth Rajkumar will be cremated with full state honours on Sunday, October 31.
-With ANI inputs
