Mumbai, Aug 26 (IANS): Veteran actor and theatre artist A.K. Hangal, who died here Sunday morning, was cremated in the afternoon, with his son Vijay performing the last rites.

"I am sad at my father's demise. But what can one say, one has to go," he told reporters at the Ville Parle Crematorium after the funeral, which took place at 1 p.m.

Hangal passed away Sunday morning after prolonged illness aggravated by a recent hip fracture. He was 97.

Although Bollywood took to Twitter to mourn his death, very few from tinsel town attended Hangal's last. They included Raza Murad, Rakesh Bedi, Ila Arun and Akhilendra Mishra.

"It is a great loss. He was a freedom fighter and a great actor. He was a great human being. I have learnt a lot from him as an actor. It is sad that people from the industry didn't turn up," Raza Murad told the media.

Hangal was admitted to the Asha Parekh Hospital Aug 16 following a hip fracture. He had been suffering from old age health problems for a long time. His wife pre-deceased him and he is survived by his son Vijay.

The actor was associated with the film industry since 1967 and worked in nearly 225 films. He is best known for his roles in "Parichay", "Sholay", "Abhimaan", and "Shaukeen".

The actor made headlines in 2011 when it was revealed that he was struggling for livelihood as his source of income had dried up and there was hardly any money for food or medicine.

Following that, many people from the film industry, including actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, offered him financial support.

Hangal was last seen in a TV show, "Madhubala", in May.