Actor-politician Nandamuri Taraka Ratna, who was in critical condition at a Bengaluru hospital, breathed his last on Saturday. He collapsed during a road show in Kuppam in the Chittoor district on January 27 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
After preliminary treatment, he was flown to Bengaluru for further treatment at the Narayana Hrudayalaya. He is survived by his wife Alekhya and a daughter, family sources said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, superstar Chiranjeevi, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, and others condoled the demise of Taraka Ratna.
Taraka Ratna had acted in Telugu movies like Okato Number Kurraadu (in 2002) before venturing into politics.
For the unversed, the 39-year-old was the grandson of Telugu actor and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao. He was also the cousin of popular actors Junior NTR and Kalyan Ram.