Comedian-actor Raju Srivastava breathed his last breath at the age of 58. He had been on life support ever since he was admitted to the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on August 10 following a heart attack while running on the treadmill at a gym last month. He was declared dead at 10:20 am on September 21, according to hospital sources. The mortal remains of the comedian are being taken to Nigambodh Ghat crematorium for last rites. As the news broke out, comedians across the nation mourned the passing of Raju Srivastava all through Wednesday.
Tanmay Bhat, Gaurav Gupta, Harsh Gujral and more new-age comedians paid tributes to the 'king of comedy'-- Raju Srivastava.
Taking to his Twitter, Tanmay Bhat said, "Raju was truly a pioneer and the father of observational comedy. Where all others' imagination ended - Raju thrived. A whole generation of comedians wanted to be Raju, before they even knew what was funny. RIP legend."
Calling him 'legend', Stand-up comedian Gaurav Gupta posted Raju Srivastava's photos and wrote, "RIP Legend." ALSO READ: Raju Srivastava Last Rites: Comedian embarks on his final journey in Delhi
Posting a WhatsApp screengrab of his and late comedian's photo, Harsh Gujral penned, "Jodhpur se New Delhi Kareeb 2 ghante ki flight Pata laga @rajusrivastavaofficial sir ekdum bagal me aake baithege khushi ka thikana nai tha college me jinke acts kar kar k tareef li thi wo bagal me aagae…..Flight udi bus Namaste sir kehne ki Der thi aur 2 ghante pata nahi lage itne kisse itni baate Thoda proud hua jab bole k tumhara wo Kanpur wala act dekha Maine."
"Flight land kari Maine sir photo please Han han lo photo aur number b lo Bhejna mujhe photo, Dil khush hogaya tha milke, Forever in our hearts @rajusrivastavaofficial sir thank you for all the laughs n memories #legend," he added.
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"RIP legend. Raju Shrivastav, the true OG of the our comedy scene. Will go bingewatch his shaadi, mela and so many other bits today. Can't imagine my childhood without his epic performances in laughter challenge," tweeted Samay Raina.
Meanwhile, Raju Srivastava, who received widespread recognition after participating in the first season of the stand-up comedy show 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge' in 2005, was part of the Indian entertainment industry since the late 1980s. Born Satya Prakash Srivastava on December 25, 1963, to a middle-class family in Kanpur. Since his childhood, Raju was fond of doing mimicry, which is why he wanted to be a comedian.
