The famous actor Sidharth Shukla, best known for his role in the long-running TV show Balika Vadhu and as the winner of Bigg Boss 13, died on Thursday, said an official at the Cooper Hospital Mumbai. He was 40 years old.

Sidharth Shukla suffered a massive heart attack in the morning, learned, and was taken to hospital at around 11 am. His mother and two sisters survive him.

“He was brought dead to the hospital some time ago,” the senior Cooper Hospital official media reported. “Initial report indicates that he died of a heart attack. We, however, won’t be able to confirm the cause of his death until we complete the post mortem,” a senior doctor from the forensic department of the hospital, media reported.

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Actor Manoj Bajpayee took to Twitter to pay tribute. He wrote, “OMG!!! This is So Shocking!!! Words will fail to describe the shock and sense of loss of his near and dear ones !!! May he rest in peace !!! No yaar !!!!” His Bigg Boss co-contestant Himanshi Khurana tweeted, “Om Shanti.” She added in another tweet, “Oh my God. It’s hard to believe. RIP Sidharth Shukla.”

Sidharth was also known for his strong friendship with Bigg Boss co-contestant Shehnaaz Gill, often thought to be a romantic relationship. The rumoured couple appeared in several popular music videos together and were fondly known as ‘Sidnaaz’ by their legions of fans.