Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar's demise on Friday morning due to a heart attack after working out at the gym has left fans across Karnataka and the Kannada film industry in a state of grief as condolences continue to pour in from celebrities and personalities from around the country. The beloved actor, who is called as 'Power Star' and 'Appu' by his ardent fans everywhere, will be cremated on Sunday at the Kanteerava Studio in Bengaluru, with thousands of people paying their final respects on Saturday. In that light, Puneeth's daughter Drithi Rajkumar, who had been in the U. S., arrived today evening to pay her tribute to her late father, with videos and photos showing the family in a highly-emotional state. 

Drithi Rajkumar can be seen touching her father Puneeth Rajkumar's father’s face, while being consoled by her mother Ashwini Revanth and uncle Shiva Rajkumar. Drithi, who arrived in Bengaluru from US via Delhi, broke down upon seeing her father's mortal remains and the visuals are emotional. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai addressed media persons and said that the timing for the funeral will be decided by the late Kannada superstar's family members and would be informed in advance. Prior to his death, Puneeth followed in the footsteps of his late father Dr Rajkumar, and donated his eyes. 

Thousands of fans have been bidding an emotional farewell to Puneeth Rajkumar at Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium since yesterday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior politicians from around the country, including film personalities have paid their tributes on social media and in person. Authorities at Vikram Hospital where Puneeth had been admitted to at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for treatment released a statement yesterday which read as follows: "Mr Puneeth Rajkumar, aged 46 years was brought to Vikram Hospital on 29/10/21 with a diagnosis of heart attack with ECG done by a family doctor. At the time of arrival to the emergency, the patient was non-responsive and was in cardiac asystole. Hence, immediate advanced cardiac life support measures were initiated for resuscitation. Inspite of prolonged advanced and aggressive measures, the patient continued to be non-responsive and asystolic. The panel of medical experts extended all efforts to save him. He was declared dead at 2.30 pm on 29.10.2021."