Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar passes away; Sonu Sood, Mahesh Babu, Dulquer Salmaan and other celebs mourn

Puneeth Rajkumar/Pic: Puneeth Rajkumar`s Instagram account

Actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who was rushed to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru on Friday morning after complaining of chest pain, passed away due to heart attack. The Kannada film industry lost it Powerstar and his entire legion of fans is mourning his sudden demise. Celebs like Sonu Sood, Siddharth, Mahesh Babu, Dulquer Salman, Chiranjeevi Konidela, Raj & DK, Vivek Oberoi, Hansika Motwani, Boney Kapoor, R Madhavan and many others took to Twitter to share condolences.

Padma Bhushan awardee actor Mohanlal tweeted, "The loss of Puneeth Rajkumar has come as a terrible shock. I still find the news hard to believe. It feels as though I have lost a younger brother. My thoughts & prayers go out to his family with whom I share a close bond. I wish them strength & comfort to cope with this loss."

South superstar Jr NTR took to his Twitter and wrote, "Heartbroken! Can't believe you have gone so soon."

Taking to his Twitter handle actor Ram Charan also expressed grief over the sudden demise of the actor, "My dearest brother #PuneetRajkumar Garu is one of the most 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 and diehard fans. You will be missed."

Rana Daggubati also wrote, "Gone too soon brother!! Extremely shocked and saddened."

Actor Dulquer Salmaan tweeted, "One of the kindest and warmest Actors/gentlemen. Praying to the almighty to give Puneeth Sirs family, friends and his ocean of fans the strength to cope with this irreplaceable loss."

National award-winning actor Mammootty also tweeted, "Shocking and Heart breaking to know that Puneeth is no more. It is a huge loss for the film fraternity. My deepest condolences to Puneeth's family and loved ones. RIP #PuneethRajkumar."

Kajal Aggarwal mourned the demise of Puneeth on her Instagram handle. She posted a picture of the late actor and captioned it with a heartbreaking note that read, "This is heart breaking and so shocking. #rippuneethrajkumar may god give strength to the family, friends and fans#gonetoosoon Om Shanti."

Other stars including Sudheer Babu, Sreedhar Pillai and Parvati among others also mourned the demise of the 'Yuvarathnaa' star, on social media.

Puneeth Rajkumar was best known for his work in the Sandalwood industry. He is the son of matinee idol Rajkumar. He started his acting career as a child. A lot of his earlier projects comprised Rajkumar himself playing his reel father. Films like Thayige Thakka Maga, Vasantha Geetha and Bhagyavantha followed up, which also showcased his singing skills. For the N Lakshminarayan film Bettada Hoovu he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. He ended his childhood appearances with the action film Parashuram.

Puneeth's first leading role came opposite Rakshita in Appu (2002), a highly successful romantic drama directed by Puri Jagannadh. Puneeth's first award-winning performance came through the film Arasu for which he won the Filmfare award and his next release Milana got him the Karnataka State Film Award. His other major successes include Jackie, Hudugaru, Rana Vikrama, Raajakumara and Natasaarvabhowma.