This weekend, Bollywood fans were shocked to hear that Sridevi Kapoor had passed away at the age of 54. She was often considered to be Hindi cinema's first "female superstar" and was arguably the most popular actress of her era during the '80s and '90s.
At first, her death was believed to be an internet hoax, and many fans refused to believe that Sridevi was truly gone. However, when the actress' brother-in-law, Sanjay Kapoor, confirmed that she had indeed passed away, posts on social media went from being doubtful to sorrowful, with many fans being unable to contain their grief.
Following Sanjay's statement, initial reports stated that Sridevi had passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at a family wedding in Dubai. However, the official forensic results were released to her family and the Indian consulate today, and they name her cause of death as "accidental drowning".
A Dubai Police official told news reporters that "The investigation is still going on to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident as the forensic report only says that she drowned." However, the forensic report also revealed that the Bollywood star had "traces of alcohol" in her body at the time of her death.
What's more, since Sridevi's case has now been passed along to the Dubai Public Prosecution for "regular legal procedures" and a final postmortem report, her funeral - which will be held in her homeland of India - will be delayed.
Her body was supposed to be flown home today but has been kept in Dubai for further examination.
In the meantime, thousands of fans and fellow actors have taken to Twitter to share their condolences.
"I have no words. Condolences to everyone who loved #Sridevi. A dark day. RIP," said Actress Priyanka Chopra.
"A dream for many, had the good fortune of sharing screen space with her long ago and witnessed her continued grace over the years," added one of her former co-stars, Akshay Kumar.
"I loved her, admired her so much. My first ever acting shot was with Sridevi, I was nervous in front of her and I remember her shaking her hands pretending to be a nervous cause of me, just to boost my confidence," wrote Hrithik Roshan in an emotional Instagram post. "We had to laugh, and she kept laughing until I got it right. Will miss you, mam."
Throughout her lifetime, Sridevi appeared in more than 300 films, and her legacy will certainly live on through them.
The entire postmortem report has not yet been released to the public, but it is expected to explain how the original report of Sridevi's cardiac arrest is linked to her "accidental drowning". At this point, it seems likely that she was in the bathtub when she suffered the original heart problem and subsequently drowned after losing consciousness.
She is survived by her husband and two children, who were with her in Dubai at the time she died. Our thoughts are with her fans, friends, and family at this difficult time.
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