Renowned drama writer and poet Amjad Islam Amjad passed away on Friday in Lahore due to a cardiac arrest at the age of 78, according to reports.

No funeral details have been announced yet.

Amjad authored more than 40 books in a career spanning 50 years and received many awards for his literary work and screenplays for television, including a Pride of Performance and a Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

He earned a Masters of Arts degree in Urdu literature from Punjab University. He began his career as a lecturer in Govt. M.A.O. College Lahore and later worked as a director at Pakistan Television Corporation from 1975 to 1979.

His most notable dramas include ‘Waris’, ‘Dehleez’, ‘Samandar’, ‘Raat’, ‘Waqt’ and ‘Apnay Loug.’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his regret over his loss on Twitter stating: “Today, a great era of Urdu literature has come to an end with the death of renowned poet and intellectual Amjad Islam Amjad.

“He cultivated a generation of intellectuals through his plays and writings. The chant of his poetry will continue to melt in our ears for a long time. May Allah bless them with paradise.”

President Arif Alvi too offered his condolences on Twitter: “Amjad Islam Amjad our great playwright, dramatist & poet has passed away.”

“He had said of himself:

If you ever remember meSo in the soft light of moonlit nightslook at a star,Holding hands on the waves of the avoiding wind.“

Ace cricketer Shoaib Akhtar too expressed his loss stating how “Urdu Poetry & Pakistan have suffered a huge loss today.”