- Madhubala died at age 36 on February 23, 1969, due to congenital heart disease
- Madhubala avoided visitors and was distressed by her weight loss and appearance
- Her illness was diagnosed in 1954 after she spat blood during filming Bahut Din Huye
Madhubala would have turned 93 today. The actress died on February 23, 1969. She was 36.
The actress, who was celebrated for her captivating beauty and screen presence, did not have an easy life off-camera.
She suffered from a congenital heart disease (ventricular septal defect). Not only did that take a toll on her physical health, but on her emotional well-being, too.
She had lost a lot of weight because of her medical illness, and did not want to venture out or meet people.
Her sister Madhur Bhushan once shared incidents from Madhubala's last days.
Madhur told Filmfare, "Aapa was reduced to a skeleton. People wanted to visit her but she didn't want anyone to see her. She would look at herself in the mirror and say, 'Dekho main kya se kya hogayee!', if people comment on my looks, I'll cry all the more."
She added, "Aapa never took help from us. She would take her bath, and have food on her own. An oxygen cylinder was kept by her side as she felt breathless. She would say, 'Don't waste money on me. I won't survive. There's no one else to earn'."
Background
The New Delhi centre of Madame Tussauds unveiled a statue of Madhubala on August 10, 2017. Madhubala's sister, Madhur Bhushan, had attended the event.
Upon asking who Madhur would like to see as the lead actress, if a biopic were made on Madhubala, she instantly said, "Kareena Kapoor Khan!"
Madhubala's illness was discovered on the sets of Bahut Din Huye (1954), where the actress spat out blood while brushing her teeth.
She was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with a heart defect.
However, she continued to film strenuous scenes for Mughal-E-Azam(1960), despite her deteriorating health.