Veteran character artiste, and the only PadmaSree awardee-comedian since Relangi, Sree Allu Ramalingaiah (82) is no more. He had a head injury on the 14th of this month, when he slipped in the bathroom, and was admitted and operated on in the Apollo hospital then. He was later admitted in Global Hospital, where he had his last breath at 12:10 a.m. on 31st July (early hours). He's survived by his wife Smt. Kanakarathnam and children, producer Allu Aravind and Chiranjeevi's wife Surekha among them. We at TeluguCinema.Com pass our deep condolences to the family, felt at personal levels.

Sree Allu Ramalingaiah, or Allu as most fans call him fondly, was born in Palakollu on October 01, 1922. Starting in 1953 with puTTillu, Sree Allu Ramalingaiah acted in nearly 1000 movies, till his last film Jai. (Though some sources he acted in 1032 films, the artiste himself had told earlier that his wish was to complete 1000 films, which probably is unfulfilled!) He was awarded PadmaSree in 1990 by Government of India, and was felicitated with Raghupathi Venkayya award in 2001. Telugu Cinema viewers will remember him for all his antics, jokes, humor, and performance. This comedian, who maintained us in good health with good and healthy comedy and freed us from our tensions, was also a homeopathic doctor and freedom fighter! His social service and concern for others can be seen in his support to activities of Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust. He continues the good work even post-humously � he donated his eyes to the Chiranjeevi Eye Bank.