King of comedy dies:

Comedy legend Moin Akhtar dies

Legendary comedian, film and TV artiste, Moin Akhtar, died following cardiac arrest in Karachi on Friday 22nd April 2011. He was 61.

His death left millions of his fans mourning at home and abroad, and brought to an end a 40-year career punctuated with countless performances of extraordinary versatility as a comedian, host and film and television actor.

According to family sources, Akhtar was taking a bath when he felt severe pain in his chest. He died while being taken to hospital.

He left behind his father, a widow, three daughters and two sons. Moin Akhtar, born on December 24, 1950, was the only member of his family who took up acting as profession in 1966 and became a star in a very short span of time. Due to his remarkable performance, he was awarded the Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

Akhtar rose to fame and won popular acclaim for his performance in TV serial ëIntizar Farmaiyeí. His unique style of acting fascinated people when he worked in a play called ëRozyí, in which he dressed up like a woman called Rozy. It was very brave for a famous male actor to act as a female TV artiste exposing the merits and demerits of the world of showbiz and serious social issues being faced by the artists.

ëRozyí was adapted from Hollywood movie ëTootsieí by a senior journalist, writer, playwright, director and theatre patron, Imran Aslam. The experiment proved very successful and won Akhtar critical acclaim as a versatile actor.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashique Awan, Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Rashid Rabbani and a large number of prominent political figures have expressed their deep sorrow and grief over the unexpected death of Moin Akhtar.

According to a close friend of Akhtar, he was a pious soul and a practisingMuslim.†Condolences for the legend continued to pour in from people from every walk of life across the country. His Namaz-e-Janaza will be offered at Masjid-e-Tauheed in Malir Cantt.