Hyderabad,  In the wake of the untimely death of Kannada Powerstar, Puneeth Rajkumar, his co-stars, celebrities, and lakhs of his fans expressed shock. Celebrities from all over India conveyed their condolences.

Telugu star Pawan Kalyan, who is equally shocked by the news, took to Twitter and wrote: "The sudden and unfortunate demise of Sri Puneeth Rajkumar deeply saddens me. His performance in his first film 'Bettada Hoovu' as a child actor deeply etched in my mind. Ever since I always admired him."

The actor-turned-politician concluded: "With a heavy heart I pray to Almighty to take care of my dear brother Puneeth in his final journey. My heartfelt condolences to Sri Shiva Raj Kumar, and Sri Puneeth's family members."

Pawan Kalyan's political party Jana Sena released a press note to convey their tributes to the departed soul of Puneeth Rajkumar.

The note mentions that Pawan Kalyan was at a loss for words and it took a while for him to recover from the shock.

Puneeth Rajkumar had sidelined his title 'Powerstar' when the makers of his movie 'Yuvarathna' had released the movie in Telugu.

On being questioned about this decision, he said: "I am not a Powerstar here. In Telugu, Pawan Kalyan is the only Powerstar. I do not think this is a sacrifice or something. This is my responsibility and I respect Pawan Kalyan and his fans' feelings. So, Yuvarathna will not have my title on its cards for the Telugu release", Puneeth had explained at the time of the movie's release.