After battling for life for weeks at AIIMS in Delhi, comedian-actor Raju Srivastava passed away Wednesday at the age of 58. He is survived by his wife, Shikha Srivastava, and two children, Aayushmaan and Antra.
Soon after complaining of chest pain, he suffered a heart attack on August 10, 2022, while working out in the gym. He underwent an angioplasty and was put on a ventilator. His condition was critical due to which he continued to stay on the ventilator in the intensive care unit (ICU) for more than 40 days.
Raju ventured into stand-up comedy with the talent show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (2005) produced by Endemol India. He finished as second runner-up and subsequently took part in the spin-off, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge - Champions, in which he won the title of "The King of Comedy."
In one of his last interviews, Srivastava told Bollywood Clap that the first film he watched was Amitabh Bachchan's 'Deewar' (1975). Following this, he became a diehard fan of Big B and started mimicking him.
Speaking of the importance of laughs and humour, Srivastava said, "I think in this present scenario it is really important to make people laugh. Making others laugh has a two-fold advantage. First, it completes my profession and second, it adds to my virtue. People have blessed me because I made them laugh. So, it’s a kind of social work as well as a profession for me."
As the entire nation mourns the loss of the Comedy King, here are some interesting facts about him: