Dev Anand, Bollywood's stylish Peter Pan dies

Legendary Bollywood actor Dev Anand once said that a song from his film Hum Dono gave him the philosophy he has lived by all his life. As the last strains of Mai zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya fade, they leave a void in memory no other star of the Indian film industry can ever fill in grace, compassion and style.

Dev Anand, or Dev Saab as he was fondly called, died in his sleep late Saturday at the Washington Mayfair Hotel in London where he was staying. He was 88. His son Sunil Anand had accompanied him to London for treatment. The hotel staff called an ambulance after family alerted them, but he died before he could be taken to hospital.

The people central to the octogenarian's life, his fans, celebrate Anand's life for his indomitable spirit, old world charm and spirited energy that carried him through his failed romances, career successes, new ventures and frail health till the end.

In his life he has fulfilled several roles; that of actor Guru Dutt's closest friend, Taxi Driver star Kalpana Kartik's husband and mentor for numerous youngsters in the film industry. In his death, Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand is remembered by co-stars and fans as "a man who never said never" and worked till his last breath.

He was born in Gurdaspur of undivided Punjab to a well-to-do advocate Pishorimal Anand on September 26, 1923, Anand graduated in English literature from the Government Law College in Lahore. Even at the height of stardom, Anand never forgot how he started his career - as a military censor office at Churchgate at a salary of Rs 160