Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee dies at 85 after battle with COVID-19

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee died at the age of 85 in Kolkata on Sunday, November 15. He breathed his last at Bellevue Nursing Home in Kolkata, where he was hospitalised over a month ago after he tested positive for coronavirus.

He later tested negative, but his condition remained critical due to secondary infections after COVID-19 complications. Thereafter, Chatterjee was shifted to a non-COVID Intensive Trauma Unit (ITU). He was kept under constant medical surveillance since then.

"We declare with a heavy heart that Shri Soumitra Chattopadhyay breathed his last at 12-15 pm at Belle Vue Clinic today (15 November 2020). We pay our homage to his soul," an official statement said on Sunday.

Doctors had earlier said that the 85-year-old thespian was not responding to treatment. The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee's oxygen levels had dropped to less than 40 per cent. His hemoglobin and platelet count has also gone down. As per the hospital, the veteran actor's kidney functions had been impacted and his urea and creatinine levels were 'not good'.

The legendary actor, who has worked with geniuses like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Tarun Mazumdar, was conferred with many accolades including the Dada Saheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan Award. He was also awarded France's highest civilian award, the Legion of Honour, in 2018.

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