It was just yesterday we learned that longtime veteran Bollywood and Hollywood actor Irrfan Khan had passed away after a battle of cancer. This morning, we’ve learned another Bollywood star has also lost a battle with cancer. News broke Thursday that Rishi Kapoor has died following his fight against leukemia. He was 67.
Similarly to Irrfan Khan, Rish Kapoor’s fight against cancer began a couple of years ago. He’d been receiving treatment for the disease for nearly a year in New York City after being diagnosed in 2018, but had recently returned to India. The Bollywood actor went into a hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday and ending up passing away on Thursday. He leaves behind family and friends who clearly love him, given the response to the actor's death, but also a large body of work that spans decades.
A spokesperson for Reliance Industries LTD, which is affiliated with the hospital Rishi Kapoor was at in Mumbai released a statement about the actor’s final hours (via CNN) in which he was able to be upbeat and positive.
The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last. He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him.
The statement also noted that Rishi Kapoor did not want his fans to be out and about and trying to mourn his death, given the current social circumstances around the world.
Rishi Kapoor was a veteran actor in Bollywood. He started his career when he was still a child in a 1970 film. In 1973 he nabbed the Filmfare Award for his role in Bobby.
The news comes just a day after Bollywood also lost Irrfan Khan to cancer. Khan and Rishi Kapoor starred together in D-Day, a Hindi action/thriller that came out back in 2013.
Popular Bollywood and Hollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who paid tribute to Irrfan Khan after his death at the age of 53, had similarly kind words for Rishi Kapoor and she called his passing "the end of an era."
Many other actors on the scene also spoke out about their love for the longtime actor and the man behind many Bollywood characters. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed particularly broken up over the news, saying he was "anguished" after learning what had happened.
Rishi Kapoor is survived by his wife, his son Ranbir Kapoor, also a prominent actor, and his daughter. Our thoughts go out to them during this time of mourning and great sadness.
