World Cancer Day: List of famous people who survived cancer and who died

Updated: Thursday, February 4, 2016, 15:50 [IST]

Bengaluru, Feb 4: Feb 4 is annually observed as World Cancer Day, to spread awareness about the disease and to encourage people to take steps for its prevention, detection and treatment.

Cancer is a disease that can happen to anyone, even if one is regularly maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It has also affected various celebrities, who have heroically battled it. But some died while fighting with it courageously. With the new technology and discoveries, many forms of cancer can be cured if detected in the early stages.

Here is a list of some famous celebrities who successfully came out through life-threatening disease:

Manisha Koirala: In 2012, Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 42 years. The entire nation was shocked but the actress was brave and fought the disease bravely. Ever since she has been associated with many NGOs supporting the cause.

In 2015, she was declared cancer-free, after receiving treatment in US, that involved various sessions of chemotherapy and surgery.

Lisa Ray: The actress-cum-model, Lisa Ray was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (a cancer of the white blood cells known as plasma cells) in 2009. In 2010, the actress announced she was free of cancer owing to her stem cell transplant treatment.

Mumtaz: Yesteryear's Bollywood heart-throb Mumtaz was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 54 years. Now, Mumtaz is 65-year-old and she is still going strong!

Yuvraj Singh: It was a huge shock for Cricket star Yuvraj Singh's fans when he was diagnosed with Stage 1 Cancer. But the young cricketer bravely passed through the toughest phase of his life, after undergoing chemotherapy in US. Now, he runs an organisation called "YouWeCan" that is dedicated to the cause of cancer.

Anuarg Basu: Not many are aware of the fact that Bollywood director Anuarag Basu once suffered from acute promyelocytic Leukemia (a type of blood cancer) in 2004. Doctor's said he had just three months to live but the brave man fought the disease for three years with treatment and now he is healthy and strong.

Barabara Mori: Barbara Mori who debuted in Bollywood 2010 film 'Kites', was diagnosed with cancer at a very early stage. After taking treatment, the actress recovered in 2010.

Angelina Jolie: Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie underwent a preventative double mastectomy after losing her mother to breast cancer and discovered that she carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, which increases the risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

In 2013, Jolie received widespread media attention when she told the public that she had tested positive for the gene BRCA1.

Actors who died fighting cancer