Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s tragic demise has left a deep void in the hearts of the fans which can never be filled. Puneeth passed away at an early age on October 29 following a cardiac arrest, sending a shock wave across the country. Megastar Rajinikanth recently expressed his condolences to the family of Puneeth Rajkumar with a voice note posted on his Hoote account. Rajinikanth shared a very close bond with the late actor as he also took part in the celebrations of Puneeth’s debut film Appu that had completed 100 days of its theatrical run.

The superstar who was hospitalised during the time when Puneeth Rajkumar passed away, revealed in the voice note that he was told about the news two days later. He said in the voice note, 

“After the treatment, I am recovering very well. When I was in the hospital, Puneeth Rajkumar died unexpectedly. I was only told about him two days later. Hearing that news caused me a lot of pain. He grew right before my eyes. He was very talented, cultured, compassionate, and such a wonderful boy. He left us way too soon. And it is an irreplaceable loss to the Kannada film industry. I have no words to console the grieving family members. Let his soul rest in peace."

Rajinikanth pays emotional tribute to Puneeth Rajkumar

Rajinikanth had shared the link of the voice note on Twitter and wrote, “I can not accept that you are not Puneet Rest in peace my child.” Puneeth, popularly known as 'Appu' and 'Powerstar', by his fans, made his debut on screen when he was just six months old and went on to win a national award as a child artist for the film, Bettada Hoovu. He then re-emerged as a lead actor in 2002 and went on to star in 29 films, delivering some big hits.

Puneeth Rajkumar’s death

Puneeth was reportedly taken to the hospital after complaining of chest problems. Vikram hospital had released an official statement announcing Puneeth's death. The late actor's fans have also expressed shock and sadness over his untimely demise. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin called it a 'personal loss.' Several other celebrities like Mahesh Babu, Indrajit Lankesh, Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, SS Rajamouli, Dhanush, Jr NTR, Pooja Hegde, and many more expressed their sadness over his demise. The celebrated Kannada actor was laid to rest with state honours at the Sree Kanteerava Studios

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