Celebrity

Bollywood’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna passed away Wednesday following a prolonged illness, a family friend said. He was 69.

“He is no more,” Vijay Zaveri, a close friend, said.

His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, family sources said.

Kaka, as he was popularly known, is survived by wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinke. The actor’s son-in-law Akshay Kumar has returned to India from a shooting stint abroad.

The veteran actor had been battling with health issues for a long time and was frequently admitted to hospital in the last few months.

In April, he was admitted to hospital due to weakness and fatigue but was discharged in three to four days. He was again rushed to the Lilavati Hospital June 23 and discharged after being treated for two weeks.

A week later he was again taken to the hospital after he complained of weakness, but was discharged soon after.

Rajesh began his career with “Aakhri Khat” in 1966. He became a superstar like no other with his work in hits like “Aradhana”, “Do Raaste”, “Safar” and “Anand”. He was last seen in a TV commercial for Havells fans earlier this year.