India's legendary actor Shashi Kapoor dies at 79

NEW DELHI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- India's legendary actor and veteran Bollywood star Shashi Kapoor passed away Monday, at the age of 79, family members said.

"The actor was admitted to the Kokilaben hospital in Mumbai. He was administered several rounds of dialysis at the hospital and today evening he breathed his last," a family member told media.

Born on March 18, 1938 in Kolkata city in India's eastern state of West Bengal, Kapoor made his debut in 1961, as the lead actor, in the Hindi film Dharamputra.

Prior to it, he began his acting career as a child artiste in the 1940s. Reports said he acted in more than 175 films mainly in mainstream Bollywood and art films. Kapoor has worked in English films too.

The actor's performance has been widely acknowledged and has been felicitated with several awards.

Kapoor's death has been widely condoled in India. A number of people took to social networking websites to express condolences and recalled their association with the deceased.

Kapoor earned acclaim for his performance in notable Hindi films which include Deewaar, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Junoon, Shaan, Namak Halaal and others.

He had been suffering from ailments for the past few years. Local media reports said Kapoor will be cremated on Tuesday. Enditem