Lata Mangeshkar, Akshay mourn Sheila Dikshit's demise

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and superstar Akshay Kumar and other Bollywood celebrities on Saturday condoled the death of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

Dikshit, who served as the Delhi CM for three terms, passed away on Saturday afternoon after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 81.

Mangeshkar remembered the former Delhi CM as a "remarkable woman".

"Was deeply saddened to hear about Sheila ji's demise. A remarkable woman, former CM of New Delhi and a keen admirer of all art forms. We never discussed politics but had long talks on music and poetry. May her soul rest in peace and heartfelt condolences to her family," she posted on Twitter

Akshay said Dikshit's changed the face of the national capital.

"Extremely sad to know about the passing away of #SheilaDixit ji...she effectively changed the face of Delhi during her tenure. Heartfelt condolences to her family."

Actors Raveena Tandon, Bhumi Pednekar, Richa Chadha, Nimrat Kaur and Deepak Dobriyal have also mourned Dikshit's death.

Tandon wrote on Twitter, "Respect and prayers. Condolences to her family.Was a much respected and loved CM. Brought about a positive visible change in Delhi during her tenure. Rest in peace #sheiladixit . Om Shanti."

"Loss of a great leader...You were really loved #ShielaDikshit ma’am.A huge loss to our country. You’ve really left behind a great legacy.May your soul rest in peace.My condolences to the family," Pednekar said.

Chadha tweeted, "#SheilaDixit demise will feel like a personal loss to anyone who grew up in Delhi. During my school and college, the green cover of Delhi actually grew by 300 per cent! A tall leader. Rest in peace ma'am. Condolences to family."

Nimrat said Dikshit was a "lady par excellence, someone who led by example."

"An indispensable presence for generations to remember. May her blessed soul rest in peace," she added.

Singer Mika tweeted, "Very sad news to hear for us all... Our ex-Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit has sadly passed but has left us with her beautiful memories... May God bless her soul. Rest in peace."

Dikshit was president of Delhi Congress. She served as Delhi's chief minister for 15 years from 1998-2013 and also served as the governor of Kerala.

She became an MP for the first time from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh in 1984. She was also a close associate of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and a minister in his cabinet.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were among the first to pay their respects to Dikshit.