Popular comedian-actor Raju Srivastava passed away at the age of 58 on Wednesday after over 40 days of hospitalisation in Delhi.
The news of his demise was shared by his brother Dipoo Srivastava.
On August 10, Raju Srivastava suffered a heart attack while working out at a hotel here. He was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and underwent angioplasty. Since then, he was on the ventilator and never gained consciousness.
“I got a call from the family about half-an-hour ago saying he is no more. It is really unfortunate news. He was fighting in the hospital for over 40 days,” Dipoo Srivastava told PTI.
Raju Srivastava was declared dead at 10.20 am, according to hospital sources.
A familiar face in the entertainment industry since the 1980s, the comedian tasted unparalleled success after participating in the first season of the reality stand-up comedy show “The Great Indian Laughter Challenge” (2005).
Raju Srivastava had also featured in Hindi films such as “Maine Pyar Kiya”, “Baazigar”, the remake of “Bombay to Goa” and “Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya”.
He was the chairperson of the Film Development Council Uttar Pradesh.
How India reacted to the comedy king’s demise
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted, “Anguished to hear about the demise of Comedy Legend Raju Srivastav Ji.An Entertainer par Excellence, his mannerisms & observational comedy truly mirrored the daily life of us Indians.My condolences to his family members. Om Shanti.”
Anguished to hear about the demise of Comedy Legend Raju Srivastav Ji.
An Entertainer par Excellence, his mannerisms & observational comedy truly mirrored the daily life of us Indians.
My condolences to his family members. Om Shanti
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) September 21, 2022
“We have lost him today. He had the talent to communicate his ideas in common language with everyone,” says Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Srivastava was briefly associated with the SP.
“My condolences to his family,” Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
Saddened to hear the tragic news of Raju Srivastav's untimely demise. He made us all laugh with his amazing comic timing for so many years we have lost a gem. My deepest condolences to his family members & admirers. #OmShanti 🙏 pic.twitter.com/NJw68EpcRH
— Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) September 21, 2022
Unbelievable!! Huge loss for the country, a very fine artist, a great human being and a beautiful soul. Will miss you Raju bhai 🙏🏻#rajushrivastav #RIP pic.twitter.com/bE43uMxiFE
— kiku sharda 🇮🇳 (@kikusharda) September 21, 2022
Heartbreaking… Friend, well-wisher, neighbour #RajuSrivastava ji, you will be missed… Om Shanti 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/DYoIZM1F88
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 21, 2022
Extremely saddened by the demise of my friend Raju Srivastva. We lost a great artist today. I express my deepest condolences to his family and friends. ॐ शांति शांति pic.twitter.com/L804lOsvRc
— Manoj Joshi (@actormanojjoshi) September 21, 2022
(With PTI inputs)
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