'News is shocking'

'There is a grief that cannot be put in words.'

Amitabh Bachchan paid a tribute to Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar, saying that his sudden death was shocking.

The 46-year-old actor, known for films such as Appu, Veera Kannadiga and Maurya, died in a hospital in Bengaluru following a massive heart attack.

He was the son of matinee idol the late Rajkumar and Parvathamma.

Bachchan took to his blog and wrote that he was saddened by two deaths of close ones -- Puneeth and that of a family friend.

'There have been two deaths of the near and dear since the morning and there is a grief that cannot be put in words. One of them, the news has been shocking.

'Puneet Rajkumar, the younger son of the legendary icon of Kannada cinema, Raj Kumar and a star in his own right, passed away today.

'He was just 46 years, and this has put all of us in great shock.

'The family of late Raj Kumar have ever been extremely close. My prayers condolences,' Bachchan wrote.

The 79-year-old blogged that the other person who died was the mother of a family friend.

Puneeth, who was known to be a fitness enthusiast, was rushed to the Vikram Hospital after he complained of chest pain following a two-hour workout in the gym, doctors treating him said. He died shortly after.

His death was mourned by Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, among others.

Several big names from the South film industry, including Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu, Siddharth, as well as names from Bollywood like Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt, also paid tributes to the actor.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com