Often referred to the king of comedy, Pakistani actor Umar Sharif died on Saturday in Germany en route to the United States for medical treatment. He was 66 years old.

He was set for the US when his health worsened during the flight on Sept 29 so he was diverted to Germany. He was due to leave for the US today but his health deteriorated.

Twitter was immediately flooded with tributes for the man whose comedic stage plays like Baqra Qistoon pe in 1989 helped propel him to fame.

He is said to have begun acting as a teenager in Karachi but when his stage plays became available on video, his fame rose. He soon turned to TV and began hosting his own talk shows.

His appeal also crossed the border and he was appreciated by many comedians in India.

He was diagnosed with cancer this year but in September ARY host Waseem Badami posted a video of Sharif in poor shape on his social media and requested the government help seek medical treatment for the ailing comedian.

The Sindh government approved Rs40m for his treatment and Sharif was able to secure a visa for treatment in the US last month.

People turned to Twitter to post tributes for Sharif. One user shared an old clip from one of Sharif's earlier performances on PTV.

Cricketer M Hafeez expressed his condolences.

Many people reflected how large a presence Sharif's was in their lives.

Lawmakers also took to Twitter to pay their condolences.

There is no information yet on where the actor will be buried.