While his first wife and sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, organised a prayer meet at Taj Lands End, his second wife, Hema Malini, hosted a separate gathering at his Mumbai residence. Now, in a heartfelt gesture, veteran actress Mumtaz reached out to offer her deepest sympathies to Hema Malini following the passing of Dharmendra. Reflecting on their legendary bond, Mumtaz noted that Hema Malini's profound love for the late actor makes this loss particularly devastating, leaving a void that will be incredibly difficult for her to navigate.

Mumtaz told Vickey Lalwani, "Yes, I met his wife. She was sitting with us. She met me very nicely and treated me well - asked properly to eat, drink, everything. My sister and Dharmendra ji were also sitting there."

"I went to the hospital. When I went there, I was told that doctors have said that he is on a ventilator - 'Aap kya dekhengi unko?' I just said that I would just like to see his glimpse. So, I went inside, saw him, he was looking good at that time as well, while lying down," she further added.

Mumtaz said, "I didn't go for the last rites. I wouldn't have been able to see his mortal remains. When Dev sahab passed away… his hotel was near my house and many people rang the bell to call me to meet him, but I said no. He was such a chirpy and lively person, he taught me everything."

The veteran actor was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital earlier this month due to health issues when rumours about his death started to surface online. But, soon after a few minutes, Esha Deol took to her social media handle and slammed media portal for spreading fake news. Later, Dharmendra was taken to home, with the family confirming that he was recovering well. Tragically, he passed away on the morning of 24 November at his family home in Juhu, at the age of 89.

The actor was cremated at Pawan Hans Crematorium in presence of family, close friends and several film industry icons. B-town stars Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Aamir Khan, Ranvir Singh, among others, came to pay their last respects to the Sholay star.