KANNADA star Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on Friday (29) afternoon after suffering a heart attack. He was 46. The youngest son of the late super star Rajkumar was taken to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru this morning in an “unresponsive” condition.
Later, in the afternoon, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Twitter: "I am deeply shocked that Kannada celebrity Shri Puneeth Rajkumar died of a heart attack. The death of Kannadigar's favourite actor, Appu, has caused enormous loss to Kannada and Karnataka and I pray that God will have mercy on his soul and give his fans the power to endure this pain."
India's prime minister Narendra Modi also expressed his shock over the sudden death of the actor. “A cruel twist of fate has snatched away from us a prolific and talented actor, Puneeth Rajkumar. This was no age to go. The coming generations will remember him fondly for his works and wonderful personality. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” read his tweet.
A newswire tweeted earlier today: "Actor Puneeth Rajkumar was admitted after suffering chest pain at 11.30 am. Trying our best to treat him. His condition is serious. Can't say anything as of now. His condition was bad when brought to hospital, treatment on in ICU: Dr Ranganath Nayak, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru. The hospital also said the actor had been brought in unresponsive, but that doctors were "trying (their) best to treat him."
India's vice president M Venkaiah Naidu also mourned the untimely death of the actor. “Anguished by the untimely demise of noted Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar. After starting his career as a child artiste, he made a mark as a phenomenal actor, playback singer, TV presenter, and producer. Indeed, he was a man of many talents,” read the tweet from the official Twitter handle of the vice president.
Filmmaker SS Rajamouli was one of several who took to Twitter to express shock over the untimely death of Puneeth Rajkumar. “Shocked to hear about Puneeth passing away. Such a young and vibrant personality gone so soon. Met him just a couple of times. But can never forget his hospitality, humble and down-to-earth nature. My prayers and strength to his family and loved ones,” he tweeted.
The body will be kept in the city's Kanteerava Stadium to enable fans and well-wishers to pay their last respects.
Crew members of Axiom Mission 4 preparing for lift-off aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9Getty Images 
Shubhanshu Shukla greeted Indians from space calling it a kamaal ki rideGetty Images
An escape artist performs during the first day of the Glastonbury festival at Worthy Farm Getty Images 
Keerthy Suresh made her Hindi film debut in Baby John opposite Varun DhawanInstagram/
The Mahanati star is now stepping into pan-India roles across film and OTTInstagram/
From Tamil and Telugu hits to Hindi cinema — Keerthy Suresh’s range continues to growInstagram/
National Award winner Keerthy Suresh is among the few South stars making a crossover on her own termsInstagram/
Keerthy Suresh’s slow and steady rise to pan-India fameInstagram/
Saaniya Abbasgetty images
Saaniya Abbasgetty images
Saaniya Abbasgetty images