Wendell Rodricks dies of heart attack in Goa 

Ace fashion designer and activist Wendell Rodricks passed away in Goa yesterday night. The 59-year-old designer is said to have suffered a heart attack.  

Rodricks' funeral will be held today at 4.30 pm, in his native village of Colvale, Goa. 

Born to a Goan Catholic family, Rodricks grew up in Mumbai before heading to the foreign shores of Los Angeles and Paris to study fashion designing. Setting up his first designer store in the early 1990s, Rodricks was a pioneer in the still-nascent world of Indian fashion. He is credited with bringing back the traditional Goan attire of the kunbi sari into mainstream fashion. 

Rodricks also conceptualized the now famous Lakme India Fashion Week in 2000. He also discovered and helped launch the modelling careers of many, including Deepika Padukone. 

A prominent social activist, he was committed to protecting the environment and the rights of the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 2014. 

The demise of the fashion designer evoked shock and surprise from members of the fashion industry as well as Hindi cinema. Rodricks was a close friend and colleague to several actors, who he had known from their days on the modelling circuit. 

Actors like Arjun Rampal, Malaika Arora, Waluscha D'Souza, Richa Chadha, were among the many who offered their condolences.  

Union minister, Smriti Z Irani, as well as Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, also offered their condolences. The chief minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, also condoled the demise of the state's famed resident.