The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan has passed away at 53. He died in Mumbai after being admitted to hospital with a colon infection earlier this week. Khan was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer (a high-grade neuroendocrine cancer) in March 2018, and spent time in London being treated before returning to work last year.
His career spanned over thirty years, and he's one of only a few actors to make that successful transition from Bollywood to Hollywood (he found an incredible amount of success in both).
Khan was introduced to Western audiences through the BAFTA award-winning The Warrior, and went on to star in Michael Winterbottom's A Mighty Heart and Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. In recent years, he became best known for memorable roles in big budget blockbusters including A Life of Pi, Inferno, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Jurassic World.
The actor was last seen on the big screen in Angrezi Medium, a sequel to Hindi Medium, the last film to open in Indian cinemas before the country was locked down due to COVID-19.
A statement from his representatives reads, "'I trust, I have surrendered'; These were some of the words Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 when opening up about his fight with cancer. He was a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen."
"It’s saddening that this day, we have to announce the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he fought the many battles that came with it."
Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, ‘As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.’"