Advertising industry veteran, journalist and actor Gerson Da Cunha died in Mumbai on Friday, PTI reported. He was 92.

Da Cunha began his career as a journalist with the Press Trust of India and subsequently shifted to advertising.

He spent 25 years in the advertising sector, during which he headed Lintas and also worked with Hindustan Lever, according to The Hindu Business Line.

Later, Da Cunha worked with the United Nations Children’s Fund in Latin America and the United States of America. In 2018, the Brazilian government awarded him with the “Order of Rio Branco” medal for his services to the country, according to PTI.

Da Cunha has also acted in several plays and films such as Electric Moon (1992), Cotton Mary (1999), Asoka (2001) and Water (2005).

The think tank Mumbai First said that it was “deeply saddened” by his demise. Da Cunha was a member of the organisation’s governing board.

Several people expressed condolences at his death. Former Union minister Milind Deora described him as a “doyen of Mumbai’s advertising and theatre scene”.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that Da Cunha’s “presence, voice and aura” remained formidable till the last.

Actor Shabana Azmi said that he “engaged and invested in making our world a better place”.