Bengali film actor and former TMC MP Tapas Paul passedaway on Monday night at a private hospital in Mumbai. Paul was 61 at the timeof his death.

The former legislator, who was elected to the Lower House from Krishnanagar constituency in 2009 and 2014, suffered a heart attack on February 2 and had been admitted to the hospital since then. Paul left behind his wife and daughter.

Paul, who was the most popular actor in Bengal wasalso the co-actor with Madhuri Dixit in his debut Hindi film Abodh (1984).

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alsoexpressed grief on his sad demise. She tweeted, "Saddened and shocked…..he wasa superstar of Bengali cinema who was a member of the Trinamool family. Tapas servedthe people as a two-term MP and MLA. We will miss him dearly."

The last few years of his life were riddled withcontroversies. In 2015, Paul was questioned by the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) in connection with the Saradha chit fund case. In 2016, theagency arrested him in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam. He wasin custody for 13 months before a court in Odisha gave him bail.