Bollywood actor, politician and former union minister Vinod Khanna passed away in Mumbai on Thursday morning following prolonged illness. He was 70. His funeral took place at a crematorium in Worli, Mumbai, in the evening which was attended by a number of his contemporaries, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Ranjit and many others.
Khanna was hospitalized over a month ago for cancer but the family then remained tight-lipped about his condition. In a brief statement, the hospital said Vinod Khanna breathed his last at 11.20 am due to advanced bladder carcinoma.
Khanna is survived by his former wife Geetanjali and their sons Akshaye and Rahul, who are now actors, and his present wife Kavita and son Sakshi and daughter Shraddha.
News of his death triggered an outpouring of grief from Bollywood actors and millions of fans on social media. Actor Rishi Kapoor, who was Vinod Khanna’s co-star in the 1977’s Amar Akbar Anthony, tweeted a poster of the film. “We will miss you Amar. RIP,” Kapoor said, referring to Khanna’s screen name in the film.
Amitabh Bachchan reportedly rushed to Khanna’s family’s side after hearing the news of his death. According to reports, he was giving an interview for his upcoming film Sarkar 3.
Director Karan Johar took to Twitter to pay tribute to the legendary actor. He wrote:
His screen presence is unparalleled even today…his super star swag is what we grew up on….RIP #VinodKhanna …thoughts and prayers….
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) April 27, 2017
As a mark of respect to our beloved Vinod Khanna the entire team of Baahubali has decided to cancel the premiere tonight…
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) April 27, 2017
