Sagar Pandey, who served as
Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s body double in more than 50 films throughout his
career, died on Friday at around 1 PM. He reportedly suffered a sudden heart
attack while working out at the gym, and was pronounced dead after being taken
to the Blasaheb Thackeray Trauma Center Hospital in west Mumbai.

According to reports, Pandey experienced
severe pain in his chest while working out and fainted, following which he was
rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. His death came as
a surprise to many in the entertainment industry, especially his close friend Raju
Raikwar, a look-alike of Shah Rukh Khan, who confirmed the news to the media.

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Who
was Sagar Pandey?

Sagar Pandey was born on January 1,
1970, in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and moved to Mumbai at a young age to pursue
acting. He had five brothers and was responsible for taking care of them due to
his relatively higher income.

After failing to secure work as an
actor, Pandey decided to become a body double for other actors. He first
appeared as Salman Khan’s body double in the 1998 classic Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and went
on to work in several of Khan’s films as a double like in Dabangg (2012), Bajrangi
Bhaijaan (2015), Tubelight (2017), Dabangg 2 (2019), and more. He has also
played Khan’s double in the TV Reality series Bigg Boss. Pandey has acted as
the superstar’s double in more than fifty films over the years. Pandey is also credited
with roles in Amir Salman Shahrukh and Mafia Bigg Boss, both released in 2017.

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Sagar Pandey was 52 years old at the
time of his death and was described as “fit and healthy” by many. He never
married and was a bachelor throughout his life.