VJ-turned-actor Sophiya Haque dies of cancer at 41

MUMBAI: Former VJ and actor Sophia Haque, who shot to fame in the 1990s, passed away at a London hospital on Wednesday after having been diagnosed with cancer two weeks earlier. Haque had moved to Mumbai in 1997, when she began appearing in Bollywood films. Several models, actors and VJs, who had known or worked with the 41-year-old Haque, expressed their shock at her sudden death.
"RIP Sophiya Haque... I’ll never forget you dancing with abandon onto the cricket field in the Cadbury commercial," actor Dia Mirza tweeted. Publicist Parull Gosain, who worked with Haque during her VJ days, said, "She was a very charismatic VJ. She had great personal taste and understanding of music. She sang with Jules (Fuller) in their band. She was an elusive personality for most people."
Haque acted in films like ‘The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey’, ‘Pehli Nazar Ka Pehla Pyaar: Love at First Sight’ and ‘Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors.’ Of late, she starred as Sylvia in ‘Privates on Parade’ in London’s West End. She also played Poppy in ‘Coronation Street’, had a role alongside Angelina Jolie in the 2008 film ‘Wanted’ and was a DJ on the BBC’s Asian Network. Her agency, Cole Kitchenn, and partner David White confirmed her death on Thursday, the UK Guardian reported on its website.
‘Privates…’ director Michael Grandage said on Twitter: "We are all devastated by (her) sudden passing. She was a true force of nature and her glorious performance as Sylvia in ‘Privates on Parade’ is one that will be remembered with great joy. A spirited lady, she lived life to the full, and her presence in the theatre will be sorely missed. The company would like to dedicate the remaining performances to her memory."
TV host Mini Mathur said, "Sophia was the epitome of all things cool and sassy when I joined MTV as a VJ…. She is gone too soon. Unbelievable." Munish, who played Uddham Singh on Channel V, said, "My first dance as Uddham Singh was with Sophiya in December ’96. It seems like yesterday and I can’t believe she is gone." Filmmaker Ken Ghosh, former VJ Maria Goretti and quiz presenter Derek O’Brien were among those who tweeted tributes.
Haque, who was born in Portsmouth, trained in dance and studied at the Arts Educational School, London. She found some success as a singer in the band Akasa, but became popular as a presenter on MTV Asia. She returned to the UK in the early 2000s and appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘Bombay Dreams’ and ‘Wah! Wah! Girls’.
The Guardian quoted Stuart Piper, MD of Cole Kitchenn, as saying, "Sophiya was one of the most inspirational people I ever met. On stage, it was like you were watching her in close-up even if you sat at the back of the stalls, such was her star presence and charisma. I am so desperately sad that she has been lost to the world at such a tragically young age, but feel blessed to have known her."