Indian Idol 2 winner Sandeep Acharya died on Sunday at the age of 29 at a private hospital in Gurgaon. He was suffering from jaundice for the past few days.
The singer was shifted to Gurgaon in Haryana after his condition deteriorated, family members said. Sandeep was crowned winner of the singing reality show ‘Indian Idol Season 2’ on April 22, 2006.
The playback singer, who is survived by his wife and a month-old daughter, had won the award for best new Bollywood talent in New Jersey.
He had also bagged the Sur Aradhna award in the best upcoming male singer category. The news of his death saddened his fans and inhabitants of his native town in Rajasthan.
The judges and host of the second season of the ‘Indian Idol’ expressed grief over the sudden demise of the singer.
Sonu Nigam, who was one of the judges on ‘Indian Idol 2’, posted on Twitter: “Sandeep Acharya died? Oh my God. I’m so so sad. What a beautiful soul. The boy was just 29... God give his parents some strength.”
Show’s host Mini Mathur said: “What a sad, premature goodbye to a talented, ambitious, happy boy.”