Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu is mourning the passing of his father Krishna. On Tuesday, his family issued a joint statement officially informing the world about the sad news. A day after suffering cardiac arrest, Krishna passed away today at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 79. "It is with the deepest grief that we inform you of the passing of our dearest Krishna garu. He was a superstar in so many ways beyond the movie screen. guided by love, humility and compassion. He will live on through his work, through us, and the many lives he influenced. He loved us more than anything and we will miss him more with each passing day. but as they say, goodbyes aren't forever. Until we meet again.," read the statement, which was signed off as "The Ghattamaneni Family". Born as Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna Murthy, Krishna remained a top movie star in Telugu cinema from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. In a career spanning more than five decades, he has acted in more than 300 movies, besides producing and directing many others. Mahesh Babu followed in the footsteps of his father Krishna and achieved superstardom in the Telugu film industry. It has been a difficult year for him as he has lost three of his family members this year. In January, his elder brother Ramesh Babu died of a kidney-related illness at the age of 56. And in September, Mahesh's mother Indira passed away at the age of 70. The demise of Krishna garu is a great loss to the Telugu film industry … working with him in 3 films are memories i will always cherish. My heartfelt condolences to his family …may his soul rest in peace @urstrulyMahesh — Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) November 15, 2022 An icon of Telugu cinema Krishna gaaru is no more, an era ends with his demise. I wish to share the grief of brother @urstrulyMahesh who has to bear this third emotional trauma of losing a mother, brother and now his father. My deepest condolence dear Mahesh gaaru. — Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) November 15, 2022 The who's who of Indian cinema have expressed their condolences to Mahesh. "An icon of Telugu cinema Krishna gaaru is no more, an era ends with his demise. I wish to share the grief of brother @urstrulyMahesh who has to bear this third emotional trauma of losing a mother, brother and now his father. My deepest condolence dear Mahesh gaaru," wrote Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan. Superstar Rajinikanth, who had collaborated with Krishna in a few films, also paid his tribute. "The demise of Krishna garu is a great loss to the Telugu film industry … working with him in 3 films are memories i will always cherish. My heartfelt condolences to his family …may his soul rest in peace @urstrulyMahesh," he posted on his Twitter page. Rajinikanth and Krishna had shared screen space in Ram Robert Rahim, Iddaru Asadhyule and Anna Dammula Saval.
