Actor Dharmendra, one of the most successful and popular leading actors in Indian cinema history, has died at the age of 89. The actor's last rites were at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Mumbai in the presence of his family. Dharmendra was married to Prakash Kaur when he was 19. He has four children with her, including Sunny and Bobby, who followed his footsteps into Bollywood. In 1980, he married his frequent co-star Hema Malini. The two are parents to Esha and Ahana Deol. A recipient of Padma Bhushan, Dharmendra was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bikaner in 2004 on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket, and served as a Member of Parliament for one term.
Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Salim Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, Rajkumar Santoshi, Anil Sharma, Salman Khan, Siddharth Roy Kapur and several others paid their last respects.Celebrities on Monday took to social media to mourn the demise of Dharmendra. Karan Johar penned a long Instagram note on the actor, who was last seen in his film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.Union Minister Nitin Gadkari spoke to the media and said: “Dharmendra was not just a good actor but also a good and simple human being. I had a personal connection with him. He was committed to the country and the farmers. His work in films cannot be forgotten. The film industry has suffered a huge loss with his passing away. He used to come and meet me. I have good relations with his sons and Hema Malini ji.” Dharmendra was one of the rare actors to transition successfully as a character artiste, working in supporting roles in films like Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Johnny Gaddaar, and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. He worked with sons - Sunny and Bobby - in the Yamla Pagla Deewana films, and Apne. His final film - Ikkis - will release next month.