Mallikarjuna Rao is dead

Hyderabad, June 24 (IANS) Telugu film comedian and character actor Mallikarjun Rao died Tuesday.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

The actor was suffering from leukemia and was admitted to a private hospital Sunday.

Hailing from Visakhapatnam district's Ankapalli town, Rao acted in 375 films over the last 25 years. He was popularly known as "Battala Satyam" for his role in "Ladies Tailor". He bagged Nandi award for best supporting actor for "Tammudu".

Rao was also serving as general secretary of the Movie Artists Association (MAA).

His body was kept at MAA office here where eminent personalities from the Telugu film industry paid him rich tributes. The body was later taken to Ankapalli, where the last rites are likely to be performed Wednesday.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu also condoled the actor's death.