Puneeth Rajkumar, the 46-year-old powerstar known for films such as “Appu”, "Veera Kannadiga" and “Maurya", died in a hospital in Bengaluru following a massive heart attack. He was the son of matinee idol the late Rajkumar and Parvathamma. The mortal remains of Puneeth Rajkumar are being kept for public view at Kanteerava Stadium till Saturday evening. Thousands of people across the state are pouring in to pay their last respects to their favourite star.
Puneeth, who was known to be a fitness enthusiast, was rushed to Vikram Hospital after he complained of chest pain following a two-hour workout in the gym, doctors treating him said. He died shortly after.
His death was mourned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, among others.
Several big names from the South film industry, including veteran actor Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu, Siddharth, as well as names from Bollywood like Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt, also paid tributes to the actor.
Puneeth Rajkumar's mortal remains will be put to rest beside the grave of his father, the legendary actor of Kannada cinema Dr Rajkumar in Bengaluru. The order was issued in this regard by senior IAS officer N. Manjunath Prasad, Principle Secretary to the Chief Minister on Friday. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has directed to initiate necessary steps to conduct final rites of the actor in the premises of Sri Kanteerava studio near the grave of Dr Rajkumar in Bengaluru, the order stated.
Puneeth Rajkumar's mother Parvathamma is also laid to rest in the same premises. The decision has been taken as per the wishes of his family. Civic agency of Bengaluru and the Police department have been asked to make necessary arrangements.
Puneeth began his career as a child artist appearing in movies like "Thayige Thakka Maga", "Vasantha Geetha" and "Bhagyavantha".
--with inputs from agencies
He made his debut as a leading man with 2002 movie "Appu" and followed it up with movies like "Abhi", "Veera Kannadiga" and "Maurya", "Ajay" and "Arasu".
