BELGRADE, Serbia:

Velimir Bata Zivojinovic, former Yugoslavia’s best known film star who was also popular in China, has died, Serbian state television reported Monday. He was 82.

Zivojinovic died late on Sunday in a Belgrade hospital, according to state TV. He was suffering from several chronic conditions and recently had a leg amputated.

Top Serbian officials expressed condolences over Zivojinovic’s death, describing the famous actor as a “legend”. President Tomislav Nikolic said it was “unthinkable that titans such as Bata, are mortal after all.”

The news of Zivojinovic’s death also resonated in other former Yugoslav republics that were part of the Communist-