Om Puri in his last days was a tragic figure,passes away at 66

Veteran Indian actor Om Puri, star of British hit East is East, has died aged 66, a family member told the BBC.

Puri suffered a heart attack at his residence in Mumbai early on Friday, reports say.

Om Puri, who acted in both mainstream and art films, was known for his gritty performances in a number of landmark Indian films in the 1980s.

He also appeared in a number of British films, including a cameo in Richard Attenborough's epic on Mahatma Gandhi.

Over the last years he appeared to be in a few controversies including one recently where he stated that actors should not be subjected ban's just because they came from Pakistan.

He was blasted by Arnab Goswami on Times now on this prime time for taking what the anchor thought was  such a 'unpatriotic' stand .

His outburst against politicians in the Anna Hazaare movement als earned him the ire of the MP'S for which he later apologised .

Puri was one of India's truly successful crossover actors, doing films with stars such as Jack Nicholson and Tom Hanks, says BBC's Soutik Biswas.

In 2009, Nandita Puri ,his wife wrote a biography of her husband entitled Unlikely Hero: The Story Of Om Puri. Upon the book's publication, Puri spoke of his anger at the inclusion of explicit details of his previous relationships.The release of certain contents eventually led to the separation ,it is believed Om Puri was never the same person after this disclosure by his wife which he felt was a betrayal.

His last years were tragic and his death at 66 may have come as a shock to his fans but not people who knew him in his last days .