This file photo taken on September 26, 2005 shows veteran Indian actor Dev Anand at a shoot for his film "Mr. Prime Minister" on his 82nd birthday at the city's famous landmark the 'Gateway of India' in Mumbai. Bollywood romantic hero and fashion icon Dev Anand has died aged 88, media reported on December 3, 2011, prompting a flood of tributes from across India's Hindi-language cinema industry.

Bollywood romantic hero and fashion icon Dev Anand has died aged 88, prompting a flood of tributes Sunday from across India's Hindi-language cinema industry.

The Press Trust of India news agency said in a report from London that Anand, who with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar reigned supreme in the golden age of Bollywood, died of a heart attack in the British capital on Saturday.

He had been in the city for a medical check-up and had been in poor health for the last few days, the agency said, quoting anonymous family sources.

Often compared to the U.S. actor Gregory Peck because of his matinee idol looks, "Debonair Dev" was best known for his boundless energy and passion for film. He starred in more than 100 movies.

He made his debut in "Hum Ek Hain" (We Are One) alongside his friend Guru Dutt in 1946, and was still working well into old age, starring in "Chargesheet" — made by his own production company — this year.

"I cannot live without my films, my cinema and my work," he told bollywoodhungama.com in 2007.