Bollywood superstar, Dilip Kumar passed away on Wednesday morning. The news of his demise left the entertainment world devastated. "With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago," family friend Faisal Farooqui wrote in a tweet from the actor's official account. "We are from God and to Him we return," he added. Born Mohammed Yusuf Khan, the actor had changed his name to Dilip Kumar on Devika Rani’s insistence, when entering the film industry back in 1944. In an earlier interview, he had admitted that it was ‘pitayi ka darr’ that led to the change in name since his father, unimpressed by the four-figure salary of the film industry, referred to his profession as nautanki.
Dilip’s brothers Ehsan and Aslam Khan were admitted to Lilavati Hospital on August 15 after they complained of breathlessness and eventually tested positive for COVID-19. While Aslam Khan, 88, died on August 21, Ehsan Khan (90) breathed his last a few days later. In March, Kumar, 97, had shared a health update on Twitter, saying that he and wife, actor Saira Banu, 75, were under “complete isolation” and quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. This was the second time in a month that Dilip Kumar was taken to the hospital. On June 6, Dilip Kumar was hospitalised after a similar complaint. Kumar was diagnosed with bilateral pleural effusion - a build-up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs - two weeks ago and underwent a successful pleural aspiration procedure. He was discharged after five days.