Choreographer-turned-filmmaker Farah Khan and Sajid Khan’s mother Menaka Irani passed away at 3 am on Friday, July 26. She was 79. Filmmaker and casting director Mukesh Chhabra confirmed the news to IndiaToday.in.

She was ill for quite some time and was in the hospital. She was the sister of child actors Daisy Irani and Honey Irani.

A few days ago, Farah’s mother also made an appearance in her vlog.

The choreographer-director had wished his mother on her birthday on July 12 on social media and even hinted at her ill health.

Sharing pictures with her, he wrote, “We all take our mothers for granted..especially me! Last month I realised how much I love my mom Menaka.. she is the strongest, bravest person I have ever seen..even after multiple surgeries her sense of humor is still intact. Happy birthday Maa! Today is a good day to be back home. I can’t wait for you to be strong enough to fight me again..I love you.”

Farah often spoke about the difficult times she, her brother Sajid and her mother Menaka faced after her father’s death. She told Radio Nasha, “I belonged to a filmy family, but when I turned five, we were poor cousins. We had lost all our money, dad’s film flopped. Our story was from riches to poverty. So, they (the rest of the family) were all happy, and we were charity cases. Sajid and I and our mother were charity cases. But, of course, they were very good to us. They let us stay in their house.”