Indian Actress Aarthi Agarwal Dies After Liposuction in the U.S.

Indian actress Aarthi Agarwal has died at the age of 31 after suffering a cardiac arrest following liposuction surgery in the U.S., reports the Indian Express.

Agarwal passed away in a private hospital in Atlantic City, N.J., on Saturday. “Aarthi was battling obesity and pulmonary illness. She was undergoing treatment and due to some complications, she suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away,” her manager told news agency IANS.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Agarwal made her Bollywood debut at the age of 16 with the Hindi-language film Paagalpan, but after the film tanked she instead worked in Tollywood — the Telugu-language film industry, concentrated in the southern states of Telagana and Andhra Pradesh.

She starred in more than 21 Telugu films including the hits Nuvvu Leka Nenu Lenu, Indra and Vasantham, and her popularity made her a household name among Telugu film aficionados.

In 2005, Agarwal hit headlines when she reportedly attempted suicide at her home in Hyderabad after a relationship with a co-star turned bitter and her film career began to tail off.

Aarthi is survived by her parents who live in New Jersey’s Egg Harbor Township and by her sister Aditi, who is also a Telugu film actress.