Sea of fans pays final tribute to Puneeth at Kanteerava stadium

Thousands of fans and admirers thronged Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru to pay their last respects to Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar, fondly known as 'Appu' on Friday, who passed away at the age of 46 after suffering a heart attack earlier in the day.The last rites will be conducted at Kanteerava Studio on Sunday with full state honours, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai informed on Friday. Son of actor Rajkumar, Puneeth was one of the most popular actors in the South film industry.

Fondly called 'Appu' by his fans, the actor entered the industry as a child artist. He was also awarded the National Film Award for Best Child Artist, for the movie Bettada Hoovu. Later, he debuted with Appu in 2002 which instantly became a blockbuster. Raam, Hudugaru, and Anjani Putra are some of his memorable movies. Restless crowds of stunned fans milled around the hospital complex as news came in of the sudden death of the actor. Puneeth was also a popular celebrity host on television. He hosted the first two seasons of "Kannadada Kotyadhipati", the Kannada version of Amitabh Bachchan's "Kaun Banega Crorepati". He also emceed Colors Kannada's reality show "Family Power"