Indian advertising legend Piyush Pandey has passed away at the age of 70. He was battling with an infection, which in turn took a serious turn, according to a statement by advertising agency Ogilvy.
Interestingly, before his stellar advertising career, the Indian adman also had proficiency in one of the country`s most loved sports, cricket. Pandey, during his playing days, had represented Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy in 1977-79. He featured in the tournament as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Having played five matches for Rajasthan, the former right-handed batsman had accumulated 105 runs, with his top score being 28.
He also registered seven catches and two stumpings in his short-lived cricketing career.
On his demise, Harsha Bhogle, who is known as the voice of cricket, took to his official social media handle to pay condolences.
“Piyush Pandey entered a profession that spoke in beautifully nuanced English aur usko apni zubaan ka khubsoorat zaika pesh kiya. He flew high in the advertising world par kadam is sanskriti se alag kabhi nahi hue. He could take on layered communication needs aur usko itni aasaani se suljhaya ke hum sab waah kehte reh gaye. If you want to leave a mark in your profession, to Piyush Pandey bano. Advertising ka gold mohur. Goodbye my friend. Alvida,” read Bhogle`s tweet.
Piyush Pandey entered a profession that spoke in beautifully nuanced English aur usko apni zubaan ka khubsoorat zaika pesh kiya. He flew high in the advertising world par kadam is sanskriti se alag kabhi nahi hue. He could take on layered communication needs aur usko itni… pic.twitter.com/NMbPgaD2NM
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 24, 2025
Known to be one of the biggest names of advertising in the country for more than four decades, Pandey gave a voice to the likes of Asian Paints with “Har khushi mein rang laaye”, Cadbury’s “Kuch khaas hai” among others including BJP’s 2014 election campaign “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar” with the iconic slogan “Achche Din Aane Wale Hain”. He is also known for the cute `ZooZoo` characters for Vodafone and spearheading public service campaigns like the `Do Boond Zindagi Ke` Polio Abhiyaan with Amitabh Bachchan.
Born in Jaipur, Piyush’s siblings include film director Prasoon Pandey and singer-actor Ila Arun. He also worked as a tea taster before finding his calling in advertising, when he joined Ogilvy in 1982.