Family will take actor’s body to Mumbai

Farooq Sheikh, who died of a heart attack at age 65 in Dubai at the weekend, will be taken home by his family.

Bollywood actor Farooq Sheikh died while on holiday in Dubai after suffering a heart attack. Waseem Gashroo/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

DUBAI // The family of an Indian actor, Farooq Sheikh, who died of a heart attack in Dubai at the weekend, are expected to return to Mumbai with his body on Monday.

Sheikh, 65, was in Dubai on holiday with his family.

“He was sitting around with his family around 1am when he suddenly collapsed,” said Renu Singh, a friend of Sheikh’s since college.

“His sister, niece, wife and daughters had gathered in Dubai with him for a holiday. They were just chatting and he suddenly slumped over,” said Ms Singh, who runs an event management company in Dubai and helped to stage his play, Tumhari Amrita, in the city last year.

Sheikh and his family were staying at a serviced apartment in Bur Dubai’s Golden Sands.

Ms Singh said the family would take the Monday morning flight from Dubai after police formalities were complete. The Indian consulate is helping to facilitate the family’s return with the actor’s body.