The yesteryear actress had been diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and was undergoing chemotherapy.
Yesteryear heroine Krishna Kumari breathed her last due to ill-health at her residence in Bengaluru.
She was 85, and is survived by a daughter.
The actress had been diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and was undergoing chemotherapy.
Known for her work in the Telugu film industry, Kumari was one of the busiest actresses in the '60s, and had worked with several legends such as N T Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Krishnam Raju, Dr Rajkumar, Sivaji Ganesan, Kanta Rao and Jaggayya.
Born in Naihati, West Bengal, on March 6, 1933, she was the sister of another yesteryear actress Sowcar Janaki. She made her acting debut with the Telugu movie Navvithe Navaratnalu in 1951. And while she did not restrict herself to one language in the early phase of her career, acting in a string of Tamil movies such as Thirumbi Paar (1953), Manithan (1953), Azhagi (1953), Puthuyugam (1954), Viduthalai (1954) and Thuli Visham (1954) in addition to Telugu movies, she would later choose to focus exclusively on Telugu cinema.
In all, the prolific actress worked in some 150 Telugu films besides in another 30 Tamil and Kannada films. Her diverse repertoire of work won her fans across multiple states of India as also the President's Award.
Kumari later married Ajay Mohan Khaitan, former editor of the Indian Express and the founder of the magazine Screen. Together they had a daughter Dipika. When Kumari quit acting, she moved to Bengaluru along with Dipika, son-in-law Vikram and grandson Pavan.
To date, the actress is remembered for her memorable performances with NTR and Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Telugu, and with Dr Rajkumar in Kannada. Some of her Telugu films that achieved classic status include Bharya Bhartalu (1961), Vagdanam (1961), Kulagothralu (1962) and Gudi Gantalu (1964). Kumari was also famous for her mythological portrayals with Kanta Rao. It is also believed that the first dance recital of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actress J Jayalalithaa was hosted at Krishna Kumari’s residence.
The sudden death of the actress shocked and saddened many filmgoers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Dozens took to Twitter to express their grief, and offered their condolences to the family.