MUMBAI — Legendary Indian actor Dilip Kumar died Wednesday morning after prolonged illness, his family and doctors treating him said. He was 98.

Dilip Kumar, known to generations of filmgoers as 'tragedy king', had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Hinduja Hospital, a non-COVID-19 facility, since Tuesday.

"He passed away due to prolonged illness at 7.30 a.m.," Dr. Jalil Parkar, who had been treating the actor, told PTI.

"With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him we return," family friend Faisal Farooqui posted from the actor's Twitter handle.

The "Mughal-e-Azam" actor had been in and out of hospitals in the last one month and the family was hoping he would get better.

The veteran actor is survived by his wife, Saira Banu, a Bollywood actress herself. The couple had no children.

On Monday, the late legend's wife Saira Banu informed fans that the megastar's health had been improving and requested them to pray for him so that he gets discharged from the hospital.

She tweeted, "We are grateful for God's infinite mercy on Dilip Sahib that his health is improving. We are still in hospital and request your prayers and duas so that Insha'Allah he is healthy and discharged soon. Saira Banu Khan."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to the doyen of Indian film industry. “Dilip Kumar Ji will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His passing away is a loss to our cultural world. Condolences to his family, friends and innumerable admirers. RIP.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to tweeted out his condolences. He tweeted, "My heartfelt condolences to the family, friends & fans of Dilip Kumar ji. His extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema will be remembered for generations to come."

Dilip Kumar — born Yusuf Khan — was a trendsetter in terms of acting style, and inspired generations of actors across the various streams of Indian cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actors that India has ever seen, his career spanned over five iconic decades.

One of the legends of Golden Age of cinema in India, he was considered a master of understatement, and eschewed the loud and theatrical elements of acting.

Some of his best known films are Aan, Azaad, Daag, Devdas, Mughal-e-Azam, Gunga Jamuna, Ram Aur Shyam, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Kranti, Vidhaata, Shakti and Mashaal, to name just a few.

Dilip Kumar was born in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar (present day Pakistan) to Ayesha Begum and Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

He debuted in films with 1944’s Jwar Bhata, but the film and his work did not garner much attention. It was with 1947’s Jugnu, also starring Noor Jehan, which clinched him his first box office hit.

In 1949, he starred in Andaz with Raj Kapoor and Nargis, and it was that film that made Dilip Kumar a big star. He was the first actor to win the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 1954, and won it a total of 8 times. He and Shah Rukh Khan jointly hold the record for most Filmfare awards.

Dilip Kumar is listed in the Guinness World Records for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor. He is also credited as the first method actor in India. He was honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 and Padma Vibhushan in 2015. He was last seen in the 1998 film Qila.

Thespian Dilip Kumar’s death has left the entire Indian film fraternity shocked and in mourning. The legendary actor has left a void in cinema and a huge body of work behind, for future filmmakers and actors to learn from.

Dilip Kumar was known as a method actor who was never limited to genres. In a career spanning more than five decades, the prolific legend was part of comedies, dramas, romance, and so on.

The actor also possessed the distinction of being the only Indian recipient of Pakistan’s highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Imtiaz.

Indian actors tweeted all the wishes and obituaries for the icon. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan lamented in a tweet, “An institution has gone .. whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written , it shall always be 'before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar' .. My duas for peace of his soul and the strength to the family to bear this loss .. Deeply saddened ..”

Ajay Devgn said he was 'heartbroken' and shared a photo with the veteran actor. He tweeted, "Shared many moments with the legend...some very personal, some on stage. Yet, nothing really prepared me for his passing away. An institution, a timeless actor. Heartbroken. Deepest condolences to Sairaji #DilipKumar."

Akshay Kumar tweeted, "To the world many others may be heroes. To us actors, he was The Hero. #DilipKumar Sir has taken an entire era of Indian cinema away with him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Om Shanti.

South Indian star Prakash Raj tweeted, thank you for living a wonderful life. He shared on Twitter, "A legend ... an Inspiration... thank you for living a wonderful life #DilipKumar ji ... RIP”

And Jr NTR tweeted 'you will be missed'. He said, "Dilip Kumar Saab's contribution to the growth of Indian cinema is priceless. Rest in Peace sir. You will be missed."

And Manoj Bajpayee tweeted there’s no one like you. “No One like you!!! Have a great Journey from here on Master .... Rest in Peace.” — Agencies