Chiranjeevi Sarja, a famous Indian actor who starred in over 20 films, has passed away at a hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday at the age of 39.
The actor died of a heart attack, according to B.S. Yediyurappa, chief minister of Karnataka.
"It is a shock to hear the news that Kannada famous artist Shri Chiranjeevi Sarja died of a heart attack. Premature death at the age of just 39 is shocking. My prayers are with his family, May God gives them the strength to endure this grief." Yediyurappa tweeted on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/BSYBJP/status/1269595895311417344?s=20
The actor was hospitalized in an unresponsive state on Sunday after he complained of breathlessness and suffered convulsions, according to The Hindu.
Doctors failed to resuscitate Sarja and was declared dead at 3.48 pm. Though doctors suspected cardiac arrest as the likely cause of Sarja’s death, a coronavirus test was also being conducted.
Many celebrities and fans took to social media to pay tributes and offer their condolences following the news of his death.
Shocked to hear about #chiranjeevisarja ‘s demise!!! Can never forget his smiling face💔💔💔my deepest condolences to the whole family !!" actress Priyamani tweeted.
https://twitter.com/priyamani6/status/1269591875050037249?s=20
"Absolutely devastated to hear about the sudden demise of Chiranjeevi Sarja. I pray Meghna and the whole family finds strength to tide through this shock and sorrow. 🙏," actor Prithviraj Sukumaran wrote on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBJDAgbAFJw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The actor's body is kept at his residence in Basavangudi for the people to pay their respect, man inpiduals have been witnessed there, despite the Coronavirus outbreak.
India has reported 2,56,611 coronavirus cases and 7,135 deaths, ranking the 5th worst-hit nation across the globe.
The novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has infected more than one million people and killed over 234,139 worldwide. It also hit several celebrities and top political figures around the world.
On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a global pandemic as the new virus has rapidly spread to more than 800,000 people from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
Transmission of viruses between humans happens when someone comes into contact with an infected person’s secretions, such as droplets in a cough.
Coronavirus can also be transmitted by coming into contact with something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
It is known that older people appear to be more vulnerable to the effects of the emerging virus.
The virus caused complete paralysis in all activities and events with large gatherings worldwide due to concerns over the spread of the virus.
People across the globe partake in self-isolation for 14 days as an effective precautionary measure to protect those around them and themselves from contracting COVID-19.
[caption id="attachment_131077" align="aligncenter" width="623"] Meghana Raj and Chiranjeevi Sarja[/caption]
Sarja was expecting his first child
The death of the Kannada actor has sent shockwaves to his family, loved ones, and fans. Sarja's wife and Indian actress Meghana Raj and him were expecting their first baby. She is four months pregnant.
The actor was born on October 7, 1980, in Bangalore, to Ammaji and Vijay Kumar. He came from a family of actors. He is the nephew of Tamil actor Arjun Sarja and grandson of veteran actor Shakti Prasad.
Sarja completed his education at the Baldwin Boys High School, Bangalore before graduating from Vijaya College. He worked as an assistant director with his uncle Arjun Sarja for about four years.
He made his acting debut in the 2009 Kannada film “Vayuputra” which was directed by his uncle Kishore Sarja. It earned him the Innovative Film Award for Best Debut (Male).
He was known for his roles in popular "Amma I Love You,", "Whistle,", "Varadanayaka,", and others.
In 2017, he got engaged to Raj. They got married in a Christian ceremony on April 30, 2018. They also held a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on May 2, 2018.