Actor’s manager said that she passed away due to cervical cancer, no details from family
Poonam Pandey
Friday afternoon turned grim after Poonam Pandey’s manager broke the news of the actor-model’s untimely demise. Over a social media post, her manager revealed that Pandey, 32, succumbed to cervical cancer. The post read, “This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer. Every living form that ever came in contact with her was met with pure love and kindness. In this time of grief, we would request privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared.”
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While the news sent shockwaves across the industry and social media, it slowly turned to scepticism as no details on where she breathed her last or where her family was planning to hold the last rites were shared. The actor hailed from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, but sources informed that the family had relocated to Prayagraj (Allahabad) seven years ago.
mid-day tried reaching out to her sister Shraddha Pandey, who remained unavailable for comment. When we reached out to her publicist, she said that they were waiting for further details from the family. It was soon followed by an official statement from the team that read, “This is to place on record that we have received a call from her family member this morning regarding her sudden demise (as posted on her official Insta id). We are awaiting further information from the family to update everyone. We will release official statement as we receive the further updates.”
Questions swirled over the news of her demise as sources claimed that the actor, who made her big-screen debut with Nasha (2013), was spotted at a Mumbai event earlier this week. Moreover, three days ago, she attended a party in Goa, pictures of which were shared on her social media page.
As mid-day reached out to Pandey’s colleagues, most declined to comment. Many even indicated that they would comment only after the news was officially confirmed by the family. “A television producer bumped into Poonam’s sister Shraddha on Friday morning, but she didn’t give any indication about this tragedy,” said a source. Another industry insider observed, “If she was in the last stage of cervical cancer, she couldn’t be attending a party in Goa a few days ago.”
Incidentally, news of Pandey’s death came a day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government’s plans to focus on vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged nine to 14 as part of her interim Budget 2024. It led to many speculating whether this was a campaign to create awareness about the disease and the vaccine. In 2020, Pandey had married long-time beau Sam Bombay. However, the marriage hit a rough patch a year later with claims of domestic violence, and they have reportedly separated.