Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar dies of heart attack at 46

Popular Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar died after suffering a massive heart attack on Friday. He had been rushed to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru after he complained of chest pain.

Apparently, Puneeth was working out in the gym when he suffered a heart attack. He was brought to the hospital in an unresponsive state and was quickly shifted to the ICU.

Former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa confirmed the news about Puneeth’s demise via a series of tweets.

Several celebrities such as Ram Charan, Siddharth and Rakul Preet Singh, among others, took to Twitter to express their condolences. 

Ram Charan wrote, "My dearest brother Puneet Rajkumar Garu is one of the warmest people ever. He not only successfully took the legacy forward of his late father Rajkumar Garu with his acting but also with his kindness. My deepest condolences to his family & diehard fans You will be missed (sic)."

One of the biggest stars in Kannada cinema, Puneeth is the son of the superstar Rajkumar. He started his career as a child artist in the 1985 film Bettada Hoovu (1985) and even won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. 

He was made his debut as a lead actor in the 2002 Kannada film Appu. Some of his popular famous films include Abhi (2003), Veera Kannadiga (2004), Arasu (2007), Raam (2009), Hudugaru (2011) and Anjaniputra (2017).

He was last seen in Yuvarathnaa, which was released early this year and became a blockbuster.