Senior theatre artiste H G Somashekar Rao dies of cardiac arrest

Senior theatre personality, actor and writer H G Somashekar Rao died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday. He was 86.

He is survived by wife and two sons.

Rao complained of chest pain and collapsed at his Srinagar residence around 12.30 pm. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

His final rites will be conducted around 5 pm.

Rao, the son of freedom fighter Harihar Gundu Rao and elder brother of veteran actor Dattanna, hailed from Chitradurga. His younger brother died a week ago. He had lost his younger sister a month ago, and was terribly upset with the unexpected deaths in the family.

Rao, a gold medalist in Sociology from University of Mysore, was a retired assistant general manager, Canara Bank. He was instrumental in building the staff training college of Canara Bank.

Rao began his theatrical career when he was an 11-year-old boy and went on to act in about 60 films and appeared in over 300 plays in an illustrious career spanning 50 years. He also participated in the freedom movement. He bagged the state award for his role in Mithileya Seetheyaru (1988). He was known for his acting in Nane Bijjala and Jokumaraswamy plays. He has authored 25 books.