Fans Show Up In Large Numbers To Pay Last Respects To Puneeth Rajkumar At Kanteerava Stadium
Fans wanted to pay their last respect before his final rites, which will be done with state honors, soon after his daughter arrives from the US.
Startled with the announcement of a sudden heart attack and the shock that came soon after, grieving fans of Kannada star gathered at Bengaluru's Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday evening to pay their last respects.
Twitter
Fans wanted to show up before his final rites, which will be done with full state honors, soon after his daughter arrives from the US.
Agencies
Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Kamal Pant at the stadium on Saturday said that based on the decision taken by Puneeth's family, the next stage of security arrangements would be made. His family will take a call on when the final rites will be performed.
ANI
Probably, the last rites will be done today itself.
Fans of actor Puneeth Rajkumar gadherd for to pay last respect at Kanteerva Stadium #PunithRajkumar #Kannadafilmstar pic.twitter.com/6LSC5yKLym
¡ª AIPWA@ANI (@AIPWAANI5) October 29, 2021
The actor, who died following a massive heart attack, followed his father¡¯s footsteps- legendary south actor Dr. Rajkumar - who had himself pledged his entire family's eyes back in 1994.
45 Free Schools
¡ª Joshivishal? (@Joshivishal9101) October 30, 2021
26 Orphanages
16 Old age homes
19 Goshala lu
1800 Students Education
2 Eyes were Donated
Finally 1 Man
He is #PuneethRajkumar ???
Puneeth has donated his eyes before death like his father ???
Rest in peace sir ??? pic.twitter.com/S24TVQzp9F
Dr. Rajkumar also died of a heart attack on 12 April 2006, aged 76.
A team of doctors performed the procedure within a six-hour window after his death, tweeted actor Chetan Kumar Ahimsa.
Appu Sir cared deeply about #education
¡ª Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ????? ?????? (@ChetanAhimsa) October 30, 2021
He realized its importance after hosting Kannada¡¯s ¡®Who Wants to be A Millionaire?¡¯ (¡®12)
As both Right to Education & Skill Development Board ambassador, he supportd growth of rural youth
Likewise we must further quality learning for all pic.twitter.com/E6Xu4mXp4T
"While I was at the hospital to see Appu Sir, a medical group came to remove his eyes in a 6-hour window after death. Appu Sir - like Dr. Rajkumar & @NimmaShivanna - donated his eyes," the actor tweeted, urging everyone to donate, "following in their footsteps & Appu Sir's memory.¡±
Twitter
The actor left for his heavenly abode at the age of 46. He was admitted to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru after experiencing chest pain, where he breathed his last.
Agencies
His mortal remains were shifted to the stadium for public viewing, where many fans could be seen waiting to get one last view of their favorite actor. A heavy police force has been deployed at the stadium to control the crowd.
ANI
Bollywood and South film industry condoled actor's death. Dhanush, Mahesh Babu, Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, among others, have expressed their condolences.
Apart from that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other noted politicians, including Karnataka CM Basavaraj S Bommai, Rahul Gandhi, Prakash Javdekar, and Nirmala Sitharaman, also mourned his death.
The Son of matinee idol Rajkumar was also lovingly called 'Appu' and 'Power Star' by his fans.
Puneeth was associated with the silver screen since he was a child.
The 46-year-old actor has been the lead star in 29 films since his 2002 acting debut in 'Appu,¡¯ with his last release being 'Yuvarathnaa,¡¯ which came out in April earlier this year.
His other notable performances include 'Raam,¡¯ 'Hudugaru,¡¯ and 'Anjani Putra.¡¯
(Also read: World Heart Day 2021: Here's The Difference Between Heart Attack And Cardiac Arrest)
