Actor Puneeth Rajkumar's last rites will be performed tomorrow at Kanteerava stadium. His mortal remains have been taken to the Kanteerava stadium for fans and celebrities to pay their respects. Family members and close friends will be present.
Security arrangements have been made outside the stadium where thousands of fans have been gathering. His parents were also laid to rest in the same place.
Kannada actor Puneeth, who passed away on Friday noon, had suffered a heart attack earlier in the day and was rushed to Vikram hospital in Bengaluru. He was 46.
Celebrities including Prabhudeva, Balakrishna and Samantha Akkineni condoled his death on social media. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, who was in Bengaluru also expressed his grief on Twitter.
PM Narendra Modi also condoled his demise. "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", he tweeted.
Karntaka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also paid their tributes to the star's death. CM Bommai told ANI that Mr. Rajkumar's daughter arrived from US at Delhi and will reach Bengaluru by 7 pm, adding that customs don't allow funeral work after sunset. He confirmed that the last rites will be peroformed tomorrow at the Kanteerava Stadium.
Notably, two of his fans suffered cardiac arrest after the news of his death and two others died by suicide.
Puneeth, the youngest son of Kannada idol Rajkumar, starred in over 29 Kannada films. He will be laid with full state honors as announced Manjunatha Prasad, the Principal Secretary to Karnataka Chief Minister.