KARACHI: Veteran actor Talat Hussain died in Karachi on Sunday at the age of 83. Hussain, born on Sept 18, 1940, passed away after a prolonged illness, state broadcaster PTV said in a post on social media platform X.

Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) Karachi President Ahmed Shah also confirmed Hussain’s death, adding that the actor had long been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Karachi.

In a statement, Shah recalled that the Kashkol actor had a “deep connection” with ACP as he had remained a part of its governing body. “An acclaimed actor like Talat Hussain is born after centuries. There was none second to Talat Hussain in acting,” he added.

The ACP president highlighted that the Parchaiyan actor had also been awarded a Sitara-i-Imtiaz medal for his work and “unique” acting style.

Praying for Hussain, Shah said he stood with the actor’s family in the moment of grief.

Actor Behroze Sabzwari recalled his experience working with Hussain and hailed his services to the theatre industry. Praising Hussain’s manner of uttering dialogues, Sabzwari said, “I can’t recall how many times I’ve tried to speak like Talat bhai in dramas but I can’t.”

Actress Bushra Ansari called Hussain the “king of the world of voice”.

She noted: “Very few artists speak the Urdu language in such brilliant, clear and beautiful manner and also speak English in the same clear and beautiful way.”

Actor Adnan Siddiqui, in a post on X, said that the passing away of Hussain “felt like a personal loss”. “He was there not as a co-actor but [as a] guiding force when I did my first-ever play,” he said, adding: “Another of the greats gone.”