Tapas Pal, celebrated film actor and former lawmaker of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, passed away in Mumbai, due to a cardiac arrest at the age of 61, according to reports.

Pal, who was visiting his daughter in Mumbai, complained of chest pain at the Mumbai airport during his return to Kolkata. He was rushed to a hospital in Juhu, but breathed his last at around 4 am (local time) yesterday. The actor was suffering from heart complications and was in and out of hospitals for treatment since the past two years.

Pal joined politics from 2001. He was a two-term member of Lok Sabha, Krishnanagar, from 2009 to 2019, and a member of the West Bengal legislative assembly from the Alipore constituency in Kolkata from 2001 to 2009. He is survived by his daughter and wife.

He remained away from cinema since his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Rose Valley chit-fund scam in December 2016 and was bailed out after 13 months. He was also imprisoned after his arrest.

Known for his romantic roles, Pal rose to popularity in Kolkata with his debut in Tarun Majumdar's Dadar Kirti in 1980. He went on to become a household name for his lead roles in Saheb (1981), Parabat Priya (1984), Bhalobasha Bhalobasha (1985), Anurager Choyan (1986) and Amar Bandhan (1986), among other films.

Pal won a Filmfare Award for his role in Saheb. He made his Bollywood debut in Hiren Nag's Abodh (1984), opposite Madhuri Dixit.

Actors Ranjit Mallick and Chiranjeet and director Buddhadeb Dasgupta offered their sincere condolences to Pal's family and described him as a brilliant artiste.

"I am yet to come to terms with the news, even though I knew that he was not keeping well for some time. He was like my younger brother," Mallick said.