Akshay Kumar's mother passes away

Superstar Akshay Kumar's mother Aruna Bhatia, who was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai, passed away on Wednesday morning.

Kumar, 53, shared a statement on Twitter and paid tributes to his mother, who was in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Hiranandani Hospital. The cause of her death is not yet known.

"She was my core. And today I feel an unbearable pain at the very core of my existence. My maa Smt Aruna Bhatia peacefully left this world today morning and got reunited with my dad in the other world," the "BellBottom" actor tweeted.

"I respect your prayers as I and my family go through this period. Om Shanti," he added.

Last evening, Kumar took to the microblogging site to thank well wishers for praying for his mother's good health.

On Monday, the actor flew back to the country after his mother was admitted to the hospital. He was shooting for his upcoming movie "Cinderella" in the UK.