“Our dear Rishi Kapoor passed away peacefully at 8:45am IST in hospital today after a two-year battle with leukemia. The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last.
He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him.
He was grateful for the love of his fans that poured in from the world over. In his passing, they would all understand that he would like to be remembered with a smile and not with tears.
In this hour of personal loss, we also recognise the world is going through a very difficult and troubled time. There are numerous restrictions around movement and gathering in public. We would like to request all his fans and well-wishers and friends of the family to please respect the laws that are in force.
He would not have it any other way.”
PS: The news of Rishi Kapoor’s demise was broken by his long-time colleague Amitabh Bachchan on Twitter. “Rishi Kapoor… gone… passed away. I am destroyed !” (https://twitter.com/SrBachchan/status/1255709029336322048) wrote the megastar, himself shaken by the news. Strangely, Bachchan deleted the tweet a couple of minutes later.