Bollywood actor and model Poonam Pandey died of cervical cancer on Thursday night (February 1), according to a statement shared by her manager Parul Chawla on her official Instagram handle. Aged 32, she was last seen on Kangana Ranaut's reality show 'Lock Upp.'
The statement on Poonam’s Instagram handle read, “This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer. Every living form that ever came in contact with her was met with pure love and kindness. In this time of grief, we would request for privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared.”
Many celebrities including Kangana Ranaut, Munawar Faruqui, Daisy Shah and Pooja Bhatt have mourned her death. Kangana Ranaut, who was a host of the reality show where Poonam was a contestant, offered her condolences on Instagram. She took to the platform and wrote, "This is so sad, losing a young woman to cancer is a catastrophe. Om Shanti."
'Bigg Boss 17' winner Munawar Faruqui, who was Poonam Pandey's co-contestant on 'Lock Upp', mourned the actor's death on X (Twitter). He wrote, "Shocking! can’t process the news. Poonam was a great human being. Sad. RIP (sic)."
Karanvir Bohra, who was also a participant in the reality show, said that he met Poonam ten days ago and was in disbelief. He tweeted, “I’m still in disbelief #PoonamPandey I pray this news is not true.”
Actor Daisy Shah also took to X (Twitter) to pay her last respects. "Shocked and saddened by the news of Poonam Pandey's demise. May her soul find tranquillity, and may her loved ones find strength. Gone too soon #PoonamPandey #RestInPeace," she tweeted.
Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt also took to the same platform and wrote, "So tragic to hear about #PoonamPandey. I had never met her, but when life claims someone so young it is always devastating. My prayers and deepest condolences to her family, friends and everyone whose life she impacted."