Veteran actor A.K. Hangal is dead

Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor A.K. Hangal passed away here Sunday morning after a prolonged illness aggravated by a recent hip fracture, a family member said. Hangal was 97.

"My father died around 9 a.m. The cause of death is mainly age-related and his lungs had also become weak and collapsed," Hangal's son Vijay, 76, told IANS.

"He died following lung and kidney failure after he suffered a hip fracture," the actor's physician Koulsoum Hossein told IANS. "It is a great shock and loss to his family, admirers and the entire film fraternity," said a family member at the actor's Santacruz residence.

The veteran will be cremated Sunday afternoon at Vile Parle crematorium.According to a hospital official, Hangal was on life-support systems for the past few days but did not respond to treatment.Hangal was admitted to the Asha Parekh Hospital Aug 16 following a hip fracture. He had been suffering from old age health problems for a long time.

His wife passed away before and he is survived by his son, Vijay. The actor was associated with the film industry since 1967 and worked in nearly 225 films. He is best known for his roles in "Parichay" and "Sholay".The actor made headlines in 2011 when it was revealed that he was struggling for livelihood as his source of income had dried up and there was hardly any money for food or medicine.

Following that, many people from the film industry, including actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, offered him financial support.

Hangal was last seen in a TV show, "Madhubala", in May.