Sandalwood actor Puneeth Rajkumar died on Friday due to a cardiac arrest. His eyes will be donated, according to reports. The actor was 46.
Puneeth had reportedly been working out at the gym when he collapsed suddenly and was rushed to the hospital. He was later admitted to Vikram Hospital and received treatment at the intensive care unit until the devastating news was confirmed.
Incidentally, Puneeth's father, Kannada thespian Dr Rajkumar too had donated his eyes. The latter, who was known for his humility and remained a non-controversial figure throughout his career, was Puneeth's role model.
Puneeth had also shared screen space with his father as a child artiste in movies like Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Hosa Belaku (1982), and Bhakta Prahalada (1983).
The Sandalwood actor, who was fondly called Appu and Power Star, had also been a singer, producer and TV presenter. Puneeth's recent movie release is Yuvarathnaa, directed by Santhosh Ananddram. He had also just finished shooting for Chethan Kumar's James, alongside Priya Anand. He was expected to start shooting Dvitva, directed by Pawan Kumar, from November 1.
Puneeth's PRK Production in association with Mudskipper, was also going to produce a project capturing the beauty of Karnataka. The project was said to be about an adventurous journey taken by Puneeth and captured by filmmaker and wildlife photographer, Amoghavarsha.
What's more, there were also rumours of the Power Star traveling extensively in the coastal belt a couple of months ago, and a few pictures from this trip surfaced on social media. A congratulatory message by Puneeth to the Wild Karnataka team on receiving 67th National Film Awards had further added fuel to the rumours.
Puneeth is survived by his wife and two daughters.
(This original copy appeared in Indulge Express)