Mumbai, Nov 11 (IANS) Former Bollywood actress and designer Simple Kapadia died here on her 51st birthday after battling cancer for three years. Dimple Kapadia, her elder sister, was by her side when she took her last breath Tuesday.

She was cremated Wednesday. "Apart from her family members Dimple, Twinkle, Rinkie and Akshay Kumar, other friends like Sunny Deol, Sajid Khan, Honey Irani, Vipul Shah and Rahul Dholakia were also present at the funeral," said a source close to the family.

Simple, who debuted opposite then superstar and brother-in-law Rajesh Khanna in "Anurodh", worked in about 20 films. She will be remembered for her sensual dance number in "Lootmaar" and as a vamp in "Pyar Ke Do Pal".

The actress, who stayed single, bid adieu to movies in 1986 after "Pyar Ke Do Pal" but returned as a costume designer. She mainly designed for her sister and bagged National Award for best costume design for the film "Rudaali" in which Dimple played the lead.