Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Oct 20: Tamil actor Karthik Sabesh, son of music director Sabesh and nephew of late composer Deva, passed away at the age of 37 on Monday night at a private hospital in Chennai.

According to reports, Karthik breathed his last around 11.15 pm after being unwell for some time. His mortal remains were expected to be taken to his residence, where members of the public could pay their last respects. His last rites were scheduled to be held at the Valasaravakkam burial ground in Chennai at 4.30 pm on Tuesday.

Karthik is survived by his wife, Ramya Karthik, and their two daughters. He appeared in several Tamil films during his acting career, including Dum, Vallavan, Pattathu Yaanai and Kulir 100. His death has come as a shock to his family and the Tamil film industry.

The tragedy comes just days after the death of his uncle, veteran music director Deva, who passed away on Saturday.

Popularly known as ‘Thenisai Thendral’, Deva composed music for more than 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema. He was known for composing music for blockbuster films such as Rajinikanth-starrers Annamalai, Arunachalam and Baasha. He was also credited with popularising the Gaana style of music in Tamil cinema and composed and sang several songs in the genre.

Several prominent personalities, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, paid tribute to the veteran composer following his death.