New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday condoled the death of popular television and film actor Sidharth Shukla and said that the news of his demise at such a young age has sent a shockwave throughout the country.

Shukla, who became a household name with his role in the long-running TV show 'Balika Vadhu', died on Thursday.

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He was 40.

Shukla, who is survived by his mother and two sisters, was dead when he was taken to the Cooper Hospital in Juhu around 10.20 am, authorities at the hospital said.

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"My condolences to the family, friends and fans of Siddharth Shukla. The news of the actor's demise at such a young age has sent a shock wave throughout the country," Gandhi said in a Facebook post.

Though some reports suggested a heart attack, the cause of his sudden death, which sent shockwaves through the industry and TV fandom and ignited fresh debate on the pulls and pressures of showbiz, is not immediately clear.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)