Om Puri (Reuters)
Om PuriReuters

Veteran actor Om Puri died on Friday morning of a heart attack, leaving all his fans and well-wishers in grief. Known for his versatile acting, Om Puri died at the age of 66.

Indian Bollywood and TV celebrities who died in 2016

Unseen photos of Veteran actor Om Puri

The demise of Om Puri came as a shocker as there was no report of the actor suffering from any physical ailment. Film-maker Ashoke Pandit apparently was the first to inform about Om Puri's death on Twitter. He was found dead at his Mumbai residence.

"Sad & shocked to know that versatile actor Om Puri jee has expired due to heart attack early morning today. #RIP," he tweeted. Soon several Bollywood celebrities started mourning the demise of one of the most talented Bollywood actors.

Born in Haryana, Om Puri had graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India. Although he is mostly known for his contribution to Hindi film industry, the celebrated actor had made his acting debut in the Marathi film, Ghasiram Kotwal in 1976.

After that Om Puri worked in series of Hindi movies and won several awards. He rose to fame with critically acclaimed movies like Aakrosh, Ardh Satya and Paar among others. Apart from Hindi movies, Om Puri worked in a number of Television shows, one Kannada film, art films and also Hollywood movies.

He was honoured with Padmashri award in 1990. Apart from the India's fourth highest civilian award, Om Puri holds a host of awards for his contribution to the entertainment industry. His first award was Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award for Aakrosh in 1981. His other awards include National Film Award for best actor for Arohan, National Film Award for best actor for Ardh Satya, Brussels International Film Festival Best Actor for My Son the Fanatic, Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award among many others.

Om Puri was married to Nandita Puri in 1993 but the two got separated in 2013. They have a son named Ishaan. Om Puri considered another veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah as one of his best friends and he once had said that Shah is the one who turned him into non-vegetarian.

Check some of the rare pictures of Om Puri here: