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Wrestler-actor Dara Singh dead Mumbai, July 12 "It was his and his family's wish that he should spend his last moments at home," Dara Singh's doctor RK Agarwal added. Agarwal gave the cause of death as cardio-respiratory arrest. "He had suffered paralysis a few years back. He also had a very rare brain disease,” Agarwal said. He said that Dara Singh's life support systems were removed only after his death. Dara Singh's mortal remains were taken to the Pawan Hans crematorium from his home, Dara Villa, at Juhu atop a flower-bedecked truck where they were consigned to the flames later this afternoon. A large number of Bollywood personalities were present to bid goodbye to Dara Singh. Abhishek Bachchan, Tabu, Bobby Deol and veterans like Manoj Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, television personalities like Dheeraj Kumar, Jaspal Bhatti, Raza Murad, actor Fardeen Khan either visited the family or were present at the funeral. The politicians were led by Congress leader Kripashankar Singh who said he had come to pay tributes on behalf of party president Sonia Gandhi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and the Congress party. Born in Punjab in 1928 as Dara Singh Randhawa, he trained as a traditional ‘pahelwan’ before taking up professional wrestling. His exploits on the ring first won him the title of Rustam-e-Punjab and later Rustam-e-Hind. Dara Singh went on to win international recognition by winning the Commonwealth Championship and the World Wrestling Championship in the 1950s. However, Dara Singh became a household name only after he joined
films. Playing the ultimate he-man in films like the Tarzan series, Hercules, Rustom-e-Hind and others, Dara Singh went on to feature in television commercials. In the late 1980s, Dara Singh's popularity soared when he played Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar's teleseries Ramayan. In 2003, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. In all, Dara Singh appeared in more than 140 films. In his later years, he slid into character roles with his last film being “Jab We Met” where he played Kareena Kapoor's grandfather. “He was a tough guy. He wanted to stay fit. But unfortunately, his body was getting weaker. As an angel, he has gone to shine like a star up above," his son Vindu said. Tributes to Dara Singh came pouring in as his death was announced. "Dara Singh - a great Indian and one of the finest humans. An entire era of his celebrated presence gone!” Amitabh Bachchan tweeted. "Rare when an individual’s name becomes an idiom. During my schooldays, any strong guy was a Dara Singh. May he find new rings to wrestle in,” industrialist Anand Mahindra said.
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