Veteran actor Kader Khan breathed his last today in Canada. He was 81 years old. His son Sarafaraz confirmed the news and said his last rites will be conducted in the country. Last week, the actor, known for his impeccable comic timing, was moved from a normal ventilator to a BiPAP ventilator, that involves the person breathing pressurised air through a mask attached to a small machine.

He had been complaining of breathlessness and was suffering from pneumonia too. The 81-year-old actor was reportedly suffering from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia.

On Friday, Khan’s co-star of several films and veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan took to Twitter to pray for the former’s speedy recovery. Kader Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have worked together in films like Do Aur Do Paanch, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr Natwarlal, Suhaag, Coolie and Shahenshah.

Kader Khan, who was born in Kabul, made his acting debut with Daag, starring Rajesh Khanna in the lead role. After that film in 1973, Khan went on to work in over 300 films, spanning several decades.

Watch Kader Khan’s special comedy scenes:

Khan was a man of many talents. Apart from acting in over 300 films, he had written dialogues for over 250 movies. Before he moved to act full time, he had written dialogues for Randhir Kapoor-Jaya Bachchan film Jawani Diwani.

He is most popularly recognised for working with famous actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Feroz Khan, Govinda and in films by David Dhawan. Khan has played a large variety of supporting role parts in films and has also starred in many comedy television series.

As dialogue and scriptwriter, Kader Khan has worked with many famous directors and actors, like Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra. Dialogues for super hit movies like Sharaabi, Coolie, Lawaaris, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Amar Akbar Anthony were penned by him.

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Kader also wrote screenplays for films starring Amitabh Bachchan like Agneepath and Naseeb. He won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award for the movie ‘Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri’ in 1991. For 15 consecutive years, from since 1984 to 1991, he was nominated nine times for Filmfare Best Comedian Award for different films. The American Federation of Muslims from India recognised him for his achievement and service to the Muslim community in India.

Kader Khan is survived by a nation of grieving fans and his family.