Celebrities who passed away in 2013

Bollywood lost a few of its sparkling gems last year. While some passed away due to old age and sickness, there were others whose sudden demise left every one shocked and surprised. Tellychakkar.com chronicles the bright stars who bid adieu to Indian showbiz in 2013. Jiah Khan – Bollywood wept when the very young and very pretty Jiah Khan died mysteriously in her apartment on 3 June 2013. The actress who created an uproar when she locked lips with the holier than thou Amitabh Bachchan in her debut movie Nishabd, was reportedly suffering from deep depression as her film career wasn’t going great guns. Her death also caused many skeletons to tumble out of the closet, prime among them being her relationship with Sooraj Pancholi. Sooraj was later arrested and granted bail for his alleged role in abetting Jiah’s suicide. The case, however took a nasty turn when Jiah’s mother Rabia threw allegations of her daughter having been murdered. Regardless of the outcome of the case, there is no doubt that Bollywood has after Divya Bharti, yet again lost an innocent soul in the form of Jiah who succumbed to the pressures that come with the glitz and glam of Bollywood. Pran – Legendary Bollywood villain and actor par excellence Pran passed away, last year at the ripe old age of 93. A Dadasaheb Phalke awardee, Pran was famous for excelling in the many roles he played on screen. In a stellar career, spilling over an astonishing sixty years, Pran acted both as a hero and villain in a little more than 400 movies. Pran is today survived by his wife and three children. Manna Dey – The nation lost its golden voice when Manna Dey breathed his last, due to age-related ailment, last year. Manna took the nation by storm at a time when Mohammed Rafi’s silky voice held a firm grip over yesteryear Bollywood. Manna’s sound classical roots and strong voice helped him in carving a niche for himself in the golden old days. If any producer needed a stunning classical rendition from a popular Hindi singer, Manna Dey was their “go to man”. Manna’s singing prowess was not just limited to Bollywood. His talent and skills were skillfully utilized by other regional industries especially in Kerala where his rendition of ‘Manasa Maine Varu’ from Chemmeen stole the hearts of Malayalees. Farooq Sheikh – Farooq’s sudden death jolted everyone in Bollywood. A gentleman par excellence, Farooq died just days before the New Year when he suffered from a heavy cardiac arrest while he was in Dubai. The much loved actor was just getting back into his acting groove with a brilliant movie called Club 60 and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, when death cruelly snuffed out his life. But more than Bollywood, it is stage plays and theaters that will sorely miss this veteran. Rituparno Ghosh – Acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh passed away at 49 last year, due to a cardiac arrest. A winner of a mind boggling 12 national awards, Rituparno was also one of those rare film personalities who openly spoke about homosexuality. Rituparno also hold the unique distinction of being a true crossover director, having worked with some of the biggest names in Bollywood from Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn to Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu. Sandeep Acharya – Indian Idol 2 winner Sandeep Acharya died due to jaundice at a Gurgaon hospital where he was being treated for the same. Sandeep who shot to fame post his win in Indian Idol was later seen on a few reality shows. Though Sandeep never made it big in Bollywood, his shows in the Northern belt were quite a hit. His sudden demise shocked his industry friends many of whom were his colleagues from Indian Idol. Jagdish Raj – He was Bollywood’s official cop. As an actor, Jagdish played a police officer for a record 144 times in Bollywood films. A familiar figure in 'Deewar', 'Don', 'Shakti', and Silsila, Jagdish died at the age of 85. Shamshad Begum – Born in Lahore, exactly a day after Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Shamshad Begum was brought to Mumbai by iconic director, Mehboob Khan. Begum was one of the first playback singers of Bollywood and rendered many hits like Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re, Leke Pehla Pehla Pyara and many other popular numbers. Between 1946 to 1960, Begum crooned for all top music directors of the industry like O.P.Nayyar, S.D.Burman and Naushad. Naushad even admitted that his rise to the top was largely due to Begum. Begum was 94 when she died, last year.