Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar passes away at 46, PM Modi calls it a 'cruel twist of fate'; friends & fans pay tribute

South film star Puneeth Rajkumar on Friday died after suffering a heart attack early morning. He was 46. The actor was rushed to a hospital in Bengaluru after he complained of chest pain. The Kannada actor was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where a team of doctors were monitoring his situation.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the actor's sudden death and called it a "cruel twist of fate". "This was no age to go," PM Modi said, paying his condolences to his family and fans.

"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," PM Modi wrote along with a picture with the star.



"Puneeth Rajkumar was brought to the emergency department at 11:40 am. He was non-responsive and was in Cardiac Asystole and Advanced cardiac resuscitation has been initiated," the hospital said in a statement.

Filmfare confirmed the news of actor's demise on their official Twitter handle.

'Powerful actor'
Many big names from the world of politics, sports to cinema, took to social media platforms to remember the powerhouse actor as they paid their condolences to the star who left everyone shocked with his sudden demise. The Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, former cricketer Virendra Sehwag was among those who paid their tribute to Puneeth.

Actor Siddharth took to his official Twitter handle to express grief over the sudden demise of the star and said he was "heartbroken" over the news.

Director Ram Gopal Varma said that Puneeth's sudden death was a scary reminder that any one can die anytime.

Remembering the 46-year-old star, Boney Kapoor called him a "powerful actor who won the hearts of people with his incredible body of work."


Earlier, doctors had informed that Puneeth's health condition were serious after he was admitted to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru at 11.30 on Friday and nothing could have said for certain. The actor was being treated in ICU.




Puneeth was fondly called as 'Appu' by his fans for his performance in the 2002 film 'Appu'. He was the son of legendary actors Rajkumar and Parvathamma.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman remembered the powerhouse actor as she paid her condolences. The FM said Puneeth had "a long promising career ahead" of him.


'Great blow to Indian cinema,' tweeted former cricketer Virendra Sehwag. "Saddened to hear about the passing away of #PuneethRajkumar . Warm , and humble, his passing away is a great blow to Indian cinema," he said.




A huge gathering of fans was seen outside the hospital where the actor was admitted soon after the news of him suffering from heart attack broke out.

The actor, who started his career as a child artist, has appeared in over 29 Kannada films. Puneeth won a National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his performance in the 1985 film 'Bettada Hoovu'.

The actor was last seen in the 2021 action-drama 'Yuvarathnaa' which was directed by film-maker Santhosh Ananddram.