Fashion designer Rohit Bal is fighting for his life in Medanta Hospital in Delhi NCR (Gurugram). The designer is in the ICU and has been put on the ventilator, sources told HT City. He has pre-existing cardiac condition.

“Bal was rushed to the hospital by model Suraj Dhalia three days ago. His heart was sinking and he was unconscious. His pacemaker gave seven shocks. He was initially taken to Moolchand and when his condition deteriorated, he was rushed to Medanta,” a close friend told HT City.

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The designer recovered from a massive heart attack in 2010. He has also been suffering from pancreatitis which has worsened over the years. The 62-year-old has been in and out of the hospital for serious health complications in the last few months.

“Gudda is a fighter but his illness has taken a serious toll on him. He became extremely weak over the last few months. We are praying for him,” says another close friend to HT City.

Rohit Bal, 62, has reportedly been in and out of rehab and hospitals for alcohol abuse and consequent health problems. In November last year, Bal was admitted to Medanta Hospital in a critical condition and was visited by old friend Arjun Rampal, as per reports.

“Gudda is in very bad shape. He was almost dead in November. The doctors had to flush out alcohol and sleeping pills from his system when his friends took him to the hospital,” a close friend of Rohit Bal told HT City in an interview around 6-7 months back while opening up on his equation with close friend Lalit Tehlan.

Rohit Bal had undergone an emergency angioplasty when he suffered a heart attack in February 2010.

Bal who has ruled the fashion world for almost three decades has quite a few awards under his belt. He was adjudged the ‘Designer of the year; at the International Fashion Awards in 2001 and 2004, and also Indian Fashion Awards in 2006. In February 2012, he was named grand finale designer at Lakme Fashion Week. He was called India’s Master of fabric and fantasy by Time Magazine.

The designer in an interview said he himself as ‘traditionalist’ and said he doesn’t design clothes thinking about trends. Rohit Bal held fashion shows in top cities of the world including London, Paris, New York, Singapore and Moscow. Rohit Bal also ventured into culinary business and opened his first restaurant ‘Veda’ in the year 2005.

Born in Srinagar on May 8, 1961, Rohit Bal began his career in 1986, founding Orchid Oversea Pvt. Ltd with his brother, and launched his independent collection in 1990. A St. Stephens College alumnus, he studied fashion at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Delhi.