Bengaluru: Popular Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, son of Kannada cinema legend Rajkumar, passed away at the age of 46 following a massive heart attack Friday. Consequently, security has been beefed up across Karnataka.
Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, and former Union minister S.M. Krishna expressed their condolences on the untimely death of Puneeth.
According to family sources, Puneeth suffered a heart attack while working out at a gym. Immediately he was shifted to Vikram Hospital. Dr Ranganath Nayak stated that his condition was critical when he was brought to the hospital. But the efforts of doctors to revive him went in vain.
Shocking ,devastating & heartbreaking! #PuneethRajkumar gone too soon. 💔
Rest in Peace! My deepest sympathies and tearful condolences to the family. A huge loss to the Kannada / Indian film fraternity as a whole.Strength to all to cope with this tragic loss!— Chiranjeevi Konidela (@KChiruTweets) October 29, 2021
This is shocking! At a loss for words…RIP #PuneethRajkumar
Strength and condolences to the family 😢💔— Rakul Singh (@Rakulpreet) October 29, 2021
Shocking!! Rest in peace #PuneethRajkumar pic.twitter.com/TsFdoPFFgW
— Ravi Teja (@RaviTeja_offl) October 29, 2021
Puneeth’s health worsened Thursday evening but he did not visit a doctor. He went to the gym in the morning and developed chest pain. He was taken to a private clinic where ECG was done. During check up, his condition worsened and he was rushed to Vikram Hospital, where he succumbed to cardiac arrest.
Puneeth has donated his eyes. He is survived by wife Ashwini and daughters Vanditha and Dhruthi.
Shocking and devastating news… Can't digest the fact yet.. This isn't fair sir.. Very sad day for the Indian film industry.. May your soul Rest in Peace 🙏🏼 Gone too soon 😓 pic.twitter.com/VBOz9HM63d
— Kartikeya (@ActorKartikeya) October 29, 2021
Security has been beefed up all across the state including state capital Bengaluru to manage the situation. The Kannada film industry has come to a grinding halt and all movie shows have been cancelled in the state.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant has reached the residence of Puneeth at Sadashivanagar. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Kannada actor Puneeth’s elder brother Shivarajkumar are also expected to address the media shortly.
Shocking! Can’t believe! Life is unpredictable
May ur soul
RIP pic.twitter.com/Srq9q30f4e— Jiiva (@JiivaOfficial) October 29, 2021
Puneeth was born March 17, 1975 and was fondly known as ‘Appu’. He was also a singer, television presenter and producer. He acted in more than 29 films and has also appeared in many films as a child artiste. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artiste for his role in ‘Bettada Hoovu’. He made his debut in the Kannada film industry with the movie ‘Appu’ in 2002.
