Veteran journalist Vinod Mehta dead

Veteran journalist Vinod Mehta dead

New Delhi : Vinod Mehta, one of India's best known journalists, died here on Sunday of multi-organ failure, doctors said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him "a fine journalist". The 73-year-old Mehta, who at one time worked as factory hand in Britain, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), its spokesperson Amit Gupta said. AIIMS said Mehta suffered from several neurological issues and had been bed-ridden for three to four months.

He was admitted to AIIMS in critical state last week. Outlook group, which was the last major media group Mehta founded, announced the death of its founder-editor-in-chief "with deep sadness".

Modi said in a tweet: "Frank and direct in his opinions, Vinod Mehta will be remembered as a fine journalist and writer. Condolences to his family on his demise." Born in Rawalpindi before India's partition, Mehta's family moved to India when he was only three years old.

He grew up in Lucknow. His big moment came in 1974 when Mehta, at age 32, took up editing "Debonair", a men's magazine in India. He later went on to launch other successful publications such as Sunday Observer, The Pioneer and Outlook. His much acclaimed memoir, "Lucknow Boy", came out in 2011. obit on