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Veteran Actor Rishi Kapoor Dies At 67

The actor had been battling cancer for two years.
- via Getty Images

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor died in Mumbai, his brother Randhir Kapoor confirmed to the Press Trust of India on Thursday morning. He was 67.

“He is no more. He has passed away,” Randhir told PTI.

The actor is survived by his wife Neetu, son Ranbir and daughter Riddhima.

He had been admitted to HN Reliance hospital on Wednesday, Randhir told PTI.

A statement released by the actor’s family said: “Our dear Rishi Kapoor passed away peacefully at 8:45am IST in hospital today after a two-year battle with leukemia. The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last.

He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him.

He was grateful for the love of his fans that poured in from the world over. In his passing, they would all understand that he would like to be remembered with a smile and not with tears.”

The actor had returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for cancer in the US for almost a year.

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan wrote “I am destroyed !” in a now deleted tweet.

Kapoor’s family asked fans and well-wishers to follow the laws in force as India observed a nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Kapoor’s death comes as the Indian film industry mourns the passing of actor Irrfan Khan, who died on Wednesday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote: “This is a terrible week for Indian cinema, with the passing of another legend, actor Rishi Kapoor. A wonderful actor, with a huge fan following across generations, he will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans all over the world, at this time of grief.”

Kapoor had been hospitalised twice in February due to his health issues.

The actor, who was quite active on social media and known to get into abusive arguments on the platform, hadn’t posted anything on his Twitter account since April 2.

He had recently announced his next project, a remake of Hollywood film The Intern, also featuring Deepika Padukone.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.