Hindu holy man Sathya Sai Baba, considered a living god by millions of followers worldwide, died Sunday morning in a hospital near his southern Indian ashram, a doctor said. He was 86.
Sai Baba had spent nearly a month on breathing support and dialysis while struggling with multiple-organ failure after being admitted March 28 to the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, near his ashram in Puttaparti village in Andhra Pradesh state.
Women selling marigold garlands broke down in tears outside the ashram when the news was announced, and followers began trickling into the temple complex where the guru's body would lie in state from Sunday night through Tuesday before a planned funeral Wednesday morning.
"We appeal to all not to rush to the hospital, but to remain calm," a hospital statement said.
The saffron-robed Sathya Sai Baba had a huge following, with ashrams in over 126 countries and Indian devotees including high-placed politicians, movie stars, world-class athletes and industrialists.
He was said to perform miracles, conjuring rings and watches and "vibhuti," a sacred ash that his followers applied on their foreheads, from his overgrown and unkempt Afro-style hair.
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