Popular television and film actor Sidharth Shukla, who became a household name with his role in the long-running TV show Balika Vadhu , died on Thursday. He was 40.

Shukla, who is survived by his mother and two sisters, was dead when he was taken to the Cooper Hospital in Juhu around 10.20 am, authorities at the hospital said. The cause of his sudden death is not immediately clear.

"He was brought dead to the hospital. The cause of the death will be known after the post-mortem is conducted... it will take some time" Cooper Hospital Dean Dr Shailesh Mohite told PTI.

The hospital's Dr Jitten Bhavsar said Shukla, who won Bigg Boss 13 in 2020, was declared dead by the principal medical officer when he was taken to the hospital around 10.20 am.

"We are now waiting for the police panchnama', then a post-mortem will happen," Bhavsar said.

Shukla began his career in showbiz as a model and made his acting debut with a lead role in the television show "Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na". He later appeared on shows such as "Jaane Pehchaane Se... Ye Ajnabbi", "Love U Zindagi" but it was"Balika Vadhu" that made him famous.

Other than Bigg Boss 13 , he participated in other reality shows, including "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6" and "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7".

In 2014, Shukla made his Bollywood debut with the Karan Johar-produced "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania" where he had a supporting role opposite Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt.

The actor's sudden death at a young age came as a shock for his colleagues and others in the industry.

"OMG! This is so shocking! Words will fail to describe the shock and sense of loss of his near and dear ones! May he rest in peace," actor Manoj Bajpayee said on Twitter.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta described Shukla's passing away as extremely tragic.

"No age to have a heart attack. No age to go. This is extremely sad and disturbing. Hope this time for sadness, reflection and mourning does not get converted into a Tamasha by some idiots," Mehta wrote.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh said he was "shocked beyond words."

"Gone too soon . Condolences to his family, loved ones. - He was loved by millions. #SiddharthShukla you will be missed - rest in peace brother. Om Shanti."

"The Lunchbox" actor Nimrat Kaur tweeted that Shukla's passing away was "terribly shocking and distressing".

Actor Rajeev Khandelwal said Shukla's untimely death is sad beyond words.