Authorities say cause of 54-year-old star’s death was ‘drowning following loss of consciousness’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Indian actor Sridevi Kapoor drowned in her hotel bath after losing consciousness, Dubai police have said.

The 54-year-old, who for years was one of Bollywood’s top stars, died late on Saturday while in Dubai for her nephew’s wedding.

Sridevi Kapoor: Bollywood star who was India's lover, friend and mum | Peter Bradshaw Read more

Her brother-in-law, Sanjay Kapoor, had previously told an Indian newspaper that she died of a cardiac arrest.

“The death of Indian actress Sridevi occurred due to drowning in her hotel apartment’s bathtub following loss of consciousness,” the Dubai police tweeted, citing a postmortem.

Play Video 1:23 India mourns as Bollywood superstar Sridevi dies – video obituary

They added that the case had been handed to the public prosecutor’s office, “which will carry out regular legal procedures”.

Two Dubai police officials speaking on condition of anonymity added that she was under the influence of alcohol.



Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayappan in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Sridevi’s fame peaked in the 1980s and 90s and she was seen as the first female superstar in India’s male-dominated film industry. She appeared in about 300 films and was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, for her service to the film industry.

In Mumbai on Monday, hundreds of fans gathered outside Sridevi’s house before her cremation.

“We want to see her one last time,” 48-year-old Laxmi Subbaramaiah said. “All of my family members are big fans and we cried when we heard the news. We will wait here until her body comes back.”

Vishal More, 23, said he had travelled seven hours from Jalgaon district, about 400km from Mumbai, to bid Sridevi farewell. “I’ve been waiting all morning to catch a last glimpse of Sridevi,” he said. “I have watched all of her movies. She is such an inspiration.”







