Bollywood star Rishi Kapoor dies of leukaemia

Leading Indian actor Rishi Kapoor has died of leukaemia at the age of 67.

Kapoor, part of a famous Bollywood family, was admitted to hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday and died on Thursday, according to a family statement.

He had returned to India last September after undergoing treatment in the US for almost a year, and was admitted to hospital twice in February.

His father Raj Kapoor and grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor were doyens of Bollywood, the vast Hindi-language film industry based in the western coastal city of Mumbai.

He received the National Film Award for his debut role as a child artist in his father’s 1970 film Mera Naam Joker. He went on to act in more than 90 films.

His wife, Nitu Singh, co-starred in several of his films, and his son Ranbir Kapoor is a current top Bollywood actor.

Kapoor’s death was revealed the day after fellow Bollywood star Irrfan Khan, star of Slumdog Millionaire, died at the age of 53.

Fellow Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan tweeted on Thursday: “Rishi Kapoor gone… Just passed away… I am destroyed.”

Kapoor is survived by his wife, son and daughter.