| Advertisement |
April 29 (UPI) -- Indian film star Irrfan Khan died Wednesday of a colon infection after a battle with cancer. He was 53. "After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it," his family said in a statement.
Advertisement
"Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.'"
Khan's film credits include Angrezi Medium, Inferno, Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider-Man, Life of Pi, The Namesake, Salaam Bombay, The Warrior, Maqbool, The Lunchbox, Piku and Hindi Medium.
His 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire earned the Best Picture Oscar, and Khan and his cast-mates were honored as Best Ensemble in a Film at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
He won India's National Film Award for his performance in the 2013 biopic, Paan Singh Tomar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Khan's death "a loss to the world of cinema and theater."
"He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace," Modi tweeted.
Khan's 95-year-old mother Saeeda Begum died Saturday and the actor watched her funeral via video-conference technology because of social-distancing practices in effect to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 200,000 people.
