Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar passes away at 46

Bengaluru: Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar breathed his last on Friday at the age of 46.

The news of his demise has been confirmed by actor Sonu Sood on his Twitter account. However, no official confirmation about Puneeth's death from the hospital has been given yet.

"Heartbroken. Will always miss you my brother. #PuneethRajkumar," Sonu tweeted.

Many other celebrities like Lakshmi Manchu, Tovino Thomas, and Hansika Motwani also posted their condolences on Rajkumar's death.

Tollywood 'Megastar' Chiranjeevi took to Twitter to condole the death of the actor. "Shocking ,devastating & heartbreaking! #PuneethRajkumar gone too soon. Broken heart Rest in Peace! My deepest sympathies and tearful condolences to the family. A huge loss to the Kannada / Indian film fraternity as a whole.Strength to all to cope with this tragic loss!," he tweeted.

"Gone too soon brother 😞 Rest in peace! #PuneethRajkumar," Malayali actor Tovino Thomas tweeted.

"I just can’t process this!! Such a passionate ,warm and humble human being !! this is so tragic . Deepest condolence to his family .may his soul rest in peace Broken heart #PuneethRajkumar," actress Hansika Motwani wrote on Twitter.

Puneeth was taken to the Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru on Friday morning after he suffered chest pain.

According to Dr Ranganath Nayak, Vikram Hospital, Bengaluru, Puneeth's condition is serious.

"Puneeth Rajkumar was admitted after suffering chest pain at 11.30 am. Trying our best to treat him. His condition is serious. Can't say anything as of now. His condition was bad when brought to the hospital, treatment on in ICU, " Dr Ranganath Nayak said.

Meanwhile, fans have taken to Twitter and Instagram to wish Puneeth a speedy recovery.

"Dear Appu Fans, no need to worry - Power star Puneeth Raj Kumar will be back stronger.... Sending our prayers and thoughts. Get well soon sir," a fan tweeted.

"Get well soon sir. Praying for you," another one wrote on Twitter.

Son of matinee idol Rajkumar, Puneeth is fondly called 'Appu' by his fans. He started his career as a child artist with his father in the early 1980s. ' Raam', 'Hudugaru', and 'Anjani Putra' are some of his memorable movies. He was last seen in 'Yuvarathnaa', which was released early this year.