Krishna, Legendary Actor, Dead at 80

Beloved Indian actor, director, and producer Ghattamaneni Krishna, popularly known as Super Star Krishna, has died. Known for his works in Telugu cinema, Krishna, born Ghattamaneni Sivarama Krishnamurthy, died on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at a private hospital in Hyderabad, officials confirmed, per Hindustan Times. Krishna was 80.

Krishna’s passing came just one day after he was admitted to Continental Hospitals in Hyderabad after he suffered a cardiac arrest. According to The Indian Express, a statement issued by the hospital at the time confirmed the actor “was brought into the emergency department” at around 1:15 a.m. local time “in cardiac arrest. The doctors immediately performed a CPR, resuscitated him within 20 minutes and shifted him to the ICU for treatment & observation.” The hospital said Krishna was “in a critical state, and has been put on a ventilator” and would be cared for by “an expert, multi-disciplinary team including cardiologists, neurologists, and critical care specialists.” In a statement later that night, doctors said Krishna “was responding to the treatment but his condition remained critical.” It was confirmed around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning that Krishna sadly passed away.

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Born on May 31, 1942, at Burripalem village of Tenali block in Guntur district, Krishna’s career spanned decades and began when he started acting in stage plays on behalf of Praja Natya Mandali, a cultural wing of the Communist Party of India. He went on to make his film debut in 1961’s Tene Mansulu, later rising to fame following his appearance in Gudhachari 116 and gaining national recognition with his film Alluri Seetharama Raju, a biopic on a revolutionary freedom fighter from Andhra. During his four-decade-long career, Krishna also established Padmalaya Studios in Hyderabad and produced many films, becoming the first producer to introduce cinemascope and 70 mm films in Telugu film industry. In total, he starred in more than 340 films, his final appearance being in 2016’s Sri Srikrishna Vijayam. Krishna won the Film Fare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, NTR National Award in 2013, and Padma Bhushan in 2007 for his contribution to the film industry.

Krishna was not just known for his film career, though. The beloved actor was also a beloved politician, first entering the political field in 1984 and winning as a Lok Sabha member from Eluru parliamentary constituency in 1989. He lost the elections from the same constituency again in 1991 and ultimately left politics following the assassination of Gandhi.

Krishna is survived by his children, including sons Mahesh Babu and Naresh, who followed in his footsteps and are popular actors.His death follows that of his wife, Indira Devi, in September and his son, Ramesh Babu, in January. Krishna’s funeral is set to take place Wednesday with full state honors in Hyderabad, The Indian Express confirmed.