Raju Srivastava Dies At 58, India Loses Comedy’s Shining Star

Raju Srivastava, a veteran comedian who was admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has died at the age of 58. Raju Srivastava had a heart attack on August 10 and was hospitalized after he complained of chest pain while running on a treadmill at the gym. He also underwent an angioplasty the same day.

“I got a call from the family about half an hour ago saying he is no more. It is really unfortunate news. He was fighting in the hospital for over 40 days,” said his brother Dipoo Srivastava. Raju Srivastava was declared dead at 10.20 am, according to hospital sources.

Raju Srivastava was on a life support system at AIIMS, Delhi. The comedian regained consciousness after 15 days on ventilator support. However, on September 1, after he ran a fever as high as 100 degrees, he was put on ventilator support again.

Srivastava worked in the entertainment industry since the late 1980s and received recognition after participating in the first season of the stand-up comedy show “The Great Indian Laughter Challenge” in 2005. He had featured in films like ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, ‘Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya’ and ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’ among others.

Raju Srivastava, counted as among the most high-profile and experienced comics in the country, is survived by his wife and two children.