Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor died of cardiac arrest on Saturday, Feb. 24 in Dubai, where she was attending her nephew's wedding. Tributes and condolences have poured in from Bollywood figures, as well as the actress's multitude of fans.
Her death came as a shock to her family, who stated that the actress did not have a known history of heart disease. Sridevi was 54.
She is survived by her husband, Boney Kapoor, and daughters Jhanvi and Khushi. Boney and daughter Khushi were both at the actress's side when she died on Saturday, while elder daughter Jhanvi was in India, preparing for her own Bollywood debut.
According to the actress's brother-in-law and fellow Bollywood star Sanjay Kapoor, Sridevi passed away at around 11 p.m. on Saturday night.
"We are completely shocked. She had no history of a heart attack," Sanjay told Khaleej Times. He did not give much more details, but Navdeep Suri, Indian ambassador to the UAE, told NDTV that the actress was staying at Dubai's Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel when she collapsed. She was then taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead.
Asian News International also reported on Twitter that Sridevi's remains were expected to be brought home to Mumbai on Monday, Feb. 26.
Tributes from fans and other Bollywood actors poured in as news of her death broke. Some of her fans converged around her home in Mumbai, while others took to social media to express their shock and sadness over Sridevi's passing. Notable political figures, such as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and London mayor Sadiq Khan, have also paid tribute to the actress on Twitter.
Sridevi, born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in 1963, has had a long and fruitful career spanning five decades and over 300 films. She began acting at age four in a Tamil-language film and appeared in Hindu-, Telugu-, Malayalam-, and Kannada-language films as well.
The actress landed her first lead role in 1978, eventually building a career that would see her become one of the Indian film industry's biggest names. According to the Associated Press, Sridevi was considered to be male-dominated Bollywood's first female superstar.
The BBC also wrote that she was one of the few female actresses in Bollywood that can carry a film on her own, without the support of a male co-star. She won numerous awards for her achievements in acting and was also awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2013.
She retired from acting in 1997 but eventually returned 15 years later to star in 2012's "English Vinglish."
Her last film was 2017's "Mom," in which her performance met positive reviews. Even though she was not in any productions before she passed, she will appear in a small cameo role in an upcoming film called "Zero."
