"King of romance" Gemini Ganesan passes away
He was 84 and is survived by seven daughters and a son. Popular Hindi film actress Rekha is one of his daughters.
Ganesan in his long film career spanning over five decades has acted in more than 200 films, including some in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. He was one of the "Big Three" of Tamil cinema of yesteryear, the other two being late MG Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan.
Fondly known as "Kadal Mannan" (King of romance), Ganesan had acted in several box-office hits during his heydays between 1950 and 1970 and paired with then top heroines such as Savithri, whom he later married, Saroja Devi, Vaijayanthi Mala, "Sowkar" Janaki and Devika.
Prominent among his hit films are Vanjikottai Valiban, Kalyana Parisu, Missiamma, Pasamalar, Panama Pasama and Iru Kodugal.
He was awarded the Padmasree in 1971.