Deeply saddened by Raju Srivastava's death: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said he was deeply saddened by the death of popular comedian-actor Raju Srivastava, and expressed condolences to his bereaved family and fans.

In a tweet in Hindi, Singh described him as an adept performer and a person who had a lively and cheerful personality.

The 58-year-old Srivastava died on Wednesday after over 40 days of hospitalisation here.

Srivastava had suffered a heart attack on August 10 while working out at a hotel here. He was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and underwent angioplasty. Since then, he was on ventilator and never gained consciousness.

The minister tweeted: ”I am deeply saddened by the death of popular comedian-actor Raju Shrivastava. Besides being an adept performer, he also had a very lively and cheerful personality. He was also very active in the field of social activities. I express my condolences to his bereaved family and his admirers.”