Only prayers remain: Amitabh Bachchan on Amar Singh's death

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan paid tributes to close friend and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, cherishing the close bond they shared.

Singh passed away on Saturday following a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Singapore.

Singh, 64, had undergone kidney transplant in 2011 and was not keeping well for a long time. He was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore since several months.

Bachchan, who shared nearly two-decade-long friendship with Singh, took to his blog and posted a black-and-white picture of himself, with his head bowed down.

"Filled with grief, head bowed, only prayers remain. Close life, close relationship, the soul is no more," the 77-year-old actor wrote.

Singh is said to have helped Bachchan when his production house Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL) was looking at a possible bankruptcy, thus marking the start of a friendship.

He also played a key role in bringing Jaya Bachchan into politics. She was elected in 2004 as the Member of Parliament from the Samajwadi Party.

The friendship, however, hit a rough patch after Singh was expelled from the Samajwadi Party and Jaya chose to remain associated with the party.

In February this year, Singh took to Twitter and said he was touched that despite their differences, Bachchan had reached out to him and he "regrets" his "overreaction" against the family.

"Today is my father’s death anniversary and I got a message for the same from Senior Bachchan ji. At this stage of life when I am fighting a battle of life and death I regret for my overreaction against Amit ji and family. God bless them all," he had tweeted.