Sandalwood actor Chiranjeevi Sarja no more

Promising Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja died of heart attack here on Sunday. He was 39.

The actor, according to sources, collapsed while speaking to his father on phone at around 1.10 pm. He was immediately rushed to Apollo Hospital in Jayanagar and he was in an unresponsive state according to the doctors.

Dr Govindaiah Yatheesh, Unit Head, Apollo Specialty Hospital, Jayanagar, said, “Actor Chiranjeevi Sarja was talking to his father at 1:10 pm. He was sweating and collapsed. It is around the same time they left the house. At 2:20 pm he reached Apollo Hospital in Jayanagar and the cause of death seems cardiac arrest. But the family has not requested for an autopsy. We have handed over the body to the police.” His throat swabs have been sent to laboratory for a report, according to sources.

Sources close to the family revealed that the last rites will be conducted at the farmhouse of his grandfather Shakti Prasad at Jakkenahalli in Madhugiri taluk of Tumakuru district on Monday.

Chiranjeevi Sarja, the nephew of multilingual South Indian actor, Arjun Sarja, began his career in the Sandalwood with Vayuputra in 2009. Shivarjuna, released days before the lockdown was imposed, is his last film. He acted in about 22 films, including Kempe Gowda, Gandedhe, Dandam Dashagunam, Chiru, Amma-I Love, Khaki and Aadyaa.

He married Meghana Raj, the daughter of Prameela Joshai and Sundar Raj in May 2018. The couple were expecting a baby.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, former CM H D Kumaraswamy, KPCC President DK Shivakumar condoled the sudden demise of Chiranjeevi Sarja.