Mumbai: Actor Dinesh Phadnis (57), who played the role of Fredericks aka Freddy in the television crime series ‘CID’, passed away on Monday night. The ailing actor died of organ failure in a Malad hospital.

Born November 2, 1966, in Bihar, Phadnis had done a few small roles before he shot to fame in 1998 with ‘CID’, which became one of the longest running shows on Indian television. While he essayed the role of a police inspector, he also wrote some of the episodes. He was noticed for his performance in films like ‘Sarfarosh’ and ‘Super 30’ and also scripted a Marathi film.

The last rites were performed at Daulat Nagar crematorium on Tuesday. Cast members of ‘CID’ including Shivaji Satam, Aditya Srivastava, Tanya Abrol and Ansha Sayed arrived to pay their respects. Co-actors Dayanand Shetty, Shraddha Musle and Narendra Gupta visited his residence in Shantivan, Borivli (E).

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Actor Dinesh Phadnis, best known for playing Fredericks on the TV show CID, passed away on, Monday night. Dinesh, breathed his last around 12.08 am, died multiple organ failure. All his close friends and family attended his last rites this morning. His co-stars from CID were also seen at the crematorium.

Aditya Srivastava, who played the role of Abhijeet on the show, said, "It is a huge loss for all of us. He wasn't keeping well and was on the ventilator. Due to a medical condition and his ongoing medicines, his liver was affected after which his other organs stopped working."

Sharing about the good times they have had on the set together, Aditya said, "He was always a jolly person. The core team of CID has worked together for 21 years now and there are so many beautiful memories that we have we all have good. Dinesh was funny on screen and made people laugh... he became a likeable character on the show. Off screen too he was the same."

Aditya further added, "We all have stood by each other in good times and in bad, and we will continue to do so. Dinesh was close to all of us and I hope he is in a better place now. CID is incomplete without Fredericks and we all will miss him."

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The death of Dinesh Phadnis, popularly known as Freddy from the cult Hindi show CID, on December 5, has left his fans and colleagues shocked. The actor died at a hospital in Mumbai at the age of 57. His career began in 1998 with the show that cemented his identity among the audience.

His co-star, actor Dayanand Shetty aka Daya, tells us, “He was like an elder brother. We have some amazing memories [together]. I remember the first time we met in April 1998, we were shooting a chase sequence in Juhu and he was sitting behind me. He was very funny and cooperative. I was a new actor then, but he made me feel comfortable.”

The actors became fast friends and were in constant touch. “The day he got admitted, he called me and said, ‘Tu dekh le ab, main admit ho raha hoon’. I met him and everything was looking good. But the same evening, his kidney collapsed; multiple things caused his death,” adds Shetty.

Actor Aditya Srivastava, who played Abhijeet on the show, says, “He was an integral part of the CID team. We worked together for 20 years. Dinesh was very jovial, just like his character.”