Veteran Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal has died of cardiac arrest at the age of 61.
He breathed his last early Tuesday, family sources said, reports NDTV.
Pal, who had gone to Mumbai to visit his daughter, complained of chest pain at the Mumbai airport during his return to Kolkata and was rushed to a hospital in Juhu but died around 4am, they told news agency Press Trust of India.
Saddened & shocked to hear about the demise of Tapas Paul. He was a superstar of Bengali cinema who was a member of the Trinamool family.Tapas served the people as a two-term MP and MLA. We will miss him dearly. My condolences to his wife Nandini, daughter Sohini & his many fans
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 18, 2020
He had been suffering from heart ailments and been to hospitals several times for treatment during the past two years.
A two-term MP from Krishnanagar and MLA from Alipore, he is survived by his daughter and wife.
Pal remained away from films after CBI arrested him in the Rose Valley chit-fund scam in December 2016 and was given bail after 13 months.
I condole the sudden demise of Actor & Former MP from Krishna Nagar , West Bengal - Shri Tapas Paul . May his soul rest in peace . May God give his family enough strength to bear this irreparable loss .
— Abhijit Mukherjee (@ABHIJIT_LS) February 18, 2020
Om Shanti ?
A romantic hero, having endeared himself to the Bengali audience since his debut film Dadar Kirti in 1980, Pal became a known household name because of his lead roles in Saheb (1981), Parabat Priya (1984), Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985), Anurager Choyan (1986), and Amar Bandhan (1986).
He was awarded the Filmfare Award for Saheb (1981).
Veteran Bengali actor Ranjit Mallick described Pal's death as "untimely."
Words are at loss, Sudden sad demise of an exceptionally talented actor, Our heartfelt condolences to the family!
— Surinder Films (@SurinderFilms) February 18, 2020
RIP #TapasPaul
"I am yet to come to terms with the news. He was like my younger brother. Yes he was not keeping well for some time," Mallick said.