Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty's first wife Helena Luke died on November 3 in the US, as reported by news agency IANS. While the news was verified by dancer-actor Kalpana Iyer on social media, the reason for her death is not known. Helena appeared in the 1985 Amitabh Bachchan starrer Mard, in which she played the role of the British queen. She was also known for her brief marriage to veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty which lasted for just four months, before he married actress Yogita Bali.
Helena, who had also featured in other Bollywood films like Do Gulaab, Aao Pyaar Karen, and Bhai Aakhir Bhai Hota Hai, stayed away from the spotlight for several years.
On Sunday, in what was to be her last post on social media, she had spoken about feeling clueless and confused. "'Feeling weird. Mixed emotions and no clue why, discombobulated," read her post on Facebook. As soon as the news of her death came out, the post went viral. Her friends and well-wishers posted their tributes in the comments section.
After her brief marriage ended, she moved to the US and worked there in the airline industry, the IANS report states.
An old interview of the actress has also resurfaced where she spoke about her marriage to Mithun Chakraborty. "I only wish it hadn't happened, he was the one who brainwashed me into believing that he was the man for me, unfortunately, he succeeded," she remarked.
"I'll never go back to him even if he is the richest guy around. I haven't even asked for alimony, it was a nightmare, and it's over. I really believed him when he told me that he loved me. But when I got to know him better, I realised that he loved no one but himself. He was extremely immature, and though I was years younger than him, I felt much older," Helena had added, addressing rumours of their reconciliation.
"He was very possessive and accused me of seeing my ex-boyfriend Javed on the sly. I used to go blue in the face trying to convince him that I didn't, but couldn't succeed in eradicating his deep-rooted suspicious nature. It was only later that I realised he had a guilt complex. He himself was fooling around behind my back and thought I was doing the same," she concluded.
Mithun Chakraborty was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award last month. He was last seen in the Bengali film Shastri, which released on October 8, 2024.