The mortal remains of professional bodybuilder and actor Varinder Singh Ghuman, who passed away on Thursday, were cremated at the Model Town cremation ground in Jalandhar on Friday.

A large number of mourners, including politicians, artists, and members of the fitness community, attended the funeral to pay their last respects to the 41-year-old.

Ghuman, who had been admitted to a private hospital in Amritsar after experiencing shoulder pain, died of a heart attack on Thursday evening, his family said.

In a statement issued on Friday, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Amritsar, said Ghuman had been evaluated in the outpatient department on October 6 for pain and restricted movement in his right shoulder. Following clinical assessment, doctors advised arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with biceps tenodesis.

“The patient had no known comorbidities. He underwent the planned procedure under general anaesthesia on October 9. The surgery was uneventful and was completed around 3 pm with stable vital parameters throughout,” the statement read.

“At approximately 3.35 pm, the patient developed a sudden cardiac arrhythmia. The anaesthesia, cardiology, cardiac anaesthesia and critical care teams immediately initiated advanced resuscitation measures. Despite sustained and coordinated efforts, the patient could not be revived and was declared dead at 5.36 pm,” the hospital added.

A native of Gurdaspur, Ghuman was residing in Jalandhar, where he owned a gym. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, he won the Mr India title in 2009 and secured second place in the Mr Asia competition.

Known for being a vegetarian bodybuilder, Ghuman was widely admired for his dedication to fitness and often shared his workout routines on social media.

In addition to his bodybuilding achievements, Ghuman had worked in several films, including Tiger 3 (2023) alongside Salman Khan, Roar: Tigers of Sundarbans (2014), Marjaavan (2019), and the Punjabi film Kabaddi Once Again (2012).