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Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor has died in hospital after a two-year battle with leukemia, his family representative confirmed in a statement.

He was 67.

According to the statement, Kapoor, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and returned to India last September following treatment in New York, passed away peacefully on Thursday morning, Indian time.

The statement also urged his fans and well-wishers to respect India's current lockdown restrictions, noting: "He would not have it any other way."<!--more-->

Kapoor made his debut as a child actor in 1970 in his father Raj Kapoor's film "Mera Naam Joker" ("My Name is Joker").

His first lead role, in the 1973 romantic film "Bobby", won him the Filmfare Award, India's equivalent of the Oscars, for Best Actor.

Over the course of his career, Kapoor acted in more than 100 films, playing both the romantic lead and character roles.