Dubai Police: Bollywood star Sridevi died of drowning

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Bollywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor, who died in Dubai last weekend, drowned in her hotel bathtub after passing out, Dubai police said Monday.

Initial reports had cited a heart attack as the cause of her death.

"The death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment's bathtub following [a] loss of consciousness," the Dubai police tweeted, citing a post-mortem.

Best known by her mononym Sridevi, the star died on Saturday night reportedly while attending a family wedding. Her husband Boney Kapoor and her daughter Khushi were with her.

How Sridevi become India’s sweetheart

Sridevi Kapoor arrives for the gala presentation of "English Vinglish" at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. /Reuters Photo

Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sridevi started her career as a child actor when she was only four.

In 1975, she made her Bollywood debut in “Julie,” and first appeared as the lead actress in a Bollywood film in 1978.

After Sridevi took a break from the film industry, she made a successful return in “English Vinglish” in 2012.

The Indian government awarded her the Padma Shri, one of its highest civilian honors, in 2013.

She had starred in over 150 films, including many Bollywood classics.

Fans’ reaction

Twitter screenshot /CGTN Photo

One of the very few female stars capable of huge box office in India, Sridevi’s sudden death was hard for many of her fans.

“Shocked and devastated. An amazing talent and my favorite performer passed away. It is a tremendous loss to the industry,” was typical of the comments on Twitter.

Twitter screenshot /CGTN Photo‍

(With input from AFP)