Showbiz celebrities who died lonely and broke

LAHORE: Popular, yet controversial, Pakistani television host and politician, Aamir Liaquat Hussain, died in loneliness and depression at his residence Thursday, drawing attention to a fragility beneath the showbiz world’s glamorous coating, glitz and flashy lights.

Research shows that numerous Pakistani, Indian and international showbiz personalities went broke after their lives were derailed due to various reasons ranging from failed marriages and careless spending to addiction for drugs and career ups and downs.

He featured on Youtube frequently for bad reasons predominantly, and was hence criticized vehemently by public at large, a factor that could also have contributed to deterioration in Aamir’s mental health.

Here follow a few examples of renowned television, filmdom and theatre personalities who succumbed to miserable circumstances:

One of the most famous Pakistani film actors, Waheed Murad, known for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent, was just 45 when he was found dead with a ‘paan’ leaf in mouth. Waheed was staying at a friend’s house and his room door had to be broken in the morning after he failed to wake up till afternoon. His wife had left him and he developed various stomach problems.

At one instance, a part of his stomach had to be removed to avoid bleeding. Whether it was a heart attack or suicide, nobody knows but archival knowledge suggests that Waheed, who acted in 125 feature films and earned 32 film awards, had become addicted to alcohol, oral tobacco and sleeping pills. Nazia Hassan, the first Pakistani singer to have registered a hit in the British Charts and sold over 65 million records worldwide, fought a long battle with lung cancer and died at 35 only, soon after her divorce.

In January 2019, legendary film and TV actress, Roohi Bano, had left the world in Turkey after renal failure. In Pakistan, she had been living alone since the murder of her 20-year-old son in 2005.

Illustrious comedian, Rafi Khawar alias Nannah, had gained immense popularity in the first half of the ‘80s, and together with late Nannah had a love affair with fellow actress Nazli in his prime time. But after Nannah had started delivering flops and fell on hard times financially, Nazli reportedly parted ways with him. Nannah allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in Lahore in June 1986.

The gorgeous Lollywood actress, Rani (real name: Nasira Begum), had three failed marriages in a row. Also referred as ‘The Dancing Queen,’ Rani died of cancer in May 1993.Meena Kumari, Indian cinema’s tragedy queen, faced heartbreaks and misfortunes in real life too. A failed relationships with actor Dharmendra and a broken marriage had led her on a downward spiral. She earned a lot throughout her career but died a pauper.

The all-time beautiful Indian actress, Madhubala, was diagnosed with terminal congenital heart condition. Her affair with Dilip Kumar and the heartbreak that she suffered from the superstar was the talk of the town back then. She was bed ridden for almost eight years before succumbing to death in 1968. Another very pretty Indian actress, Parveen Babi, also had an ugly end to her life. She was found dead in her Mumbai flat in January 2005.