Manobala passes away at 69: Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Mammootty and others grieve tremendous loss

In what has sent shockwaves across the Tamil industry, revered actor and director Manobala, who was undergoing liver treatment, breathed his last at his Chennai residence on Wednesday afternoon. Initially admitted at the Apollo Hospital, the actor had not been very well in the past fortnight and was apparently, not responding to the treatment, despite sincere efforts to stabilise his condition.

Known for his comic roles during the 80s and the 90s, the actor has collaborated with the most popular and finest talents of Tamil cinema. Across three generations of Tamil superstars from Sivaji Ganesan to Karthi, the actor has enjoyed tremendous warmth and respect from his colleagues for his warm and jovial nature, on and off the sets.

The industry is in deep mourning and the tributes continue pouring in, not just from the Tamil film industry, but across languages too.

Veteran actors Rajinkanth and Kamal Haasan took to Twitter to pen lengthy, heartfelt posts for their friend in Tamil.

Malayalam megastar Mammootty is also saddened by this irreparable loss. He wrote, "Deeply Saddened to hear that my dear friend and colleague Manobala has passed away. Hearty Condolences to his family and friends."

See some of the reactions from Twitter by other actors below

Known for an unconventional voice and his impeccable sense of humour, Manobala began his career as an assistant director to filmmaker Bharathiraja. In his illustrious career spanning across 700 films, in which he acted and 40 films which he directed, he'll be remembered for his work in 'Sethu', 'Pithamagan', 'Oorkavalan', 'Kaatrin Mozhi' and 'Chakra'.