Veteran actor Sarath Kumar passed away in Hyderabad on Monday after being in a hospital for over a month. He was 71.

The actor was hospitalised because of multiple myeloma and died of multiple organ failure, hospital authorities said in a statement.

Sarath Kumar had acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam movies in his career spanning five decades. He made his acting debut with Telugu film Rama Rajyam in 1973. Sarath Kumar has acted with Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, NTR, Chiranjeevi and K Balachander. He was last seen in the Tamil film Vasantha Mullai.

Eminent film personalities from the south condoled the death of the veteran actor. Rajinikanth tweeted that he lost a close friend and a wonderful man. “It is an irreparable loss,” he wrote.

"A great actor and a great friend, Sarath Babu has passed away. The days of acting with him are a shadow in my mind. Introduced by my Guru in Tamil. He excelled in many timeless roles. Cinema has lost a good actor. My tribute to him,” tweeted Kamal Haasan.

Prakash Raj described Sarath Babu as an “ever smiling soul”. “Will cherish his warmth and encouragement throughout my career.. thank you dearest #SarathBabu for everything . RIP 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿,” he further wrote in social media.

“Sad to hear about the passing of veteran actor Sarath Babu garu. His contributions to Indian cinema will be remembered forever. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. Om Shanti,” tweeted Jr NTR.

Telugu actor Nani also condoled the death of Sarath Kumar. “Sarath babu Gaaru’s voice, presence and warmth in his performances will always be cherished. Thank you sir 🙏🏼,” he wrote on Twitter.

Actress and filmmaker Suhasini Maniratnam also paid tributes to her “dearest screen brother Sarath babu”. “Time to remember his greatness as a human and his gentleness as an actor. I lost a gem. Rip my anna,” she tweeted.

Ashish Vidyarthi, who worked with Sarath Babu in films across different languages, wrote, “Your warmth, twinkle in the eyes, humour and chuckle shall remain with me... Meet you on the other side. Respect and Naman.”

“Saddened about the passing away of Versatile Actor Sarath Babu Garu. You'll be cherished forever with your work and immemorable contributions to the world of cinema. May his soul rest in peace 🙏Deepest condolences to family, friends and dear,” Telugu actor Sai Dharam Tej tweeted.

Radhika Sarathkumar posted a photo with the deceased actor. “No words, just deep sadness #SarathBabu , rest in peace” she wrote in the caption.

Actor-film producer Rajeev Kanakala described Sarath Babu as “one of the finest actors in the Telugu film industry”. “He will live on through the characters he brought to life. Om Shanti #SarathBabu garu. 🙏,” he added.