Sandalwood star Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on Friday, October 29, after suffering a massive heart attack at the age of 46. Fondly known as ‘Power Star’ among his fans, the news about the actor’s hospitalisation and death left many distressed. Hundreds of fans assembled outside his residence and the hospital. Following the announcement of his death, condolences poured in from fans and colleagues from the film fraternity, as well as sports personalities and politicians.
From movie clips to Puneeth’s workout videos, fans shared their cherished memories of the actor on social media as they condoled his untimely demise. Videos and images of Puneeth from his last public appearance have also gone viral. Puneeth was reportedly last seen publicly on October 26 at the pre-release event for his brother, actor Shiva Rajkumar’s Kannada movie Bhajarangi 2, which was to hit the theatres on Friday.
In a video from the star-studded event shared by the film’s production house, Puneeth was seen sharing the stage with KGF-fame actor Yash. The latter took the opportunity to speak about Puneeth’s contribution to cinema and how he was an inspiration to many actors. Heaping praise on Puneeth, Yash shared that he has been his fan from the time he was in school and has admired Puneeth’s dance clips as well as his high-octane bike and action sequences. Addressing the Sandalwood star as Appu, which was a nickname given by fans to Puneeth after his 2002 film Appu, Yash also said that Puneeth guided the other actors.
Puneeth was also seen speaking at the event where he shared that he was a fan of Shivanna (his older brother). The late actor was also seen shaking a leg to the hook line from the film’s title song ‘Bhajare Bhajare Bhajarangi’ with Yash and Shiva Rajkumar.
The youngest son of Kannada cinema legend Dr Rajkumar, Puneeth had a huge fan-following in Karnataka. On the professional front, he was working on a psychological thriller drama titled, Dvitva.
Puneeth Rajkumar is survived by his wife Ashwini and their two daughters.
Watch video of Bhajarangi 2’s prerelease event: