Tollywood actor Jayaprakash Reddy passes away at 74

Guntur: Veteran Telugu stage and film actor Jayaprakash Reddy died of heart attack at his residence in Guntur on Tuesday. He was 74 and survived by wife and a son, family sources said.

He collapsed inside the bathroom on Tuesday morning and breathed his last.

Jayaprakash Reddy, popularly known as JP, began his career as a school teacher. His passion for acting drove him towards the stage and he played varied roles in countless dramas. He then attracted the attention of Telugu film industry and a variety of roles came his way.

Be it a hardcore villain or a comedian, JP fit into the roles with effortless ease and enthralled the audience. As a villain, he earned a unique identity speaking the Rayalaseema accent of Telugu, a novelty that became his USP and elevated the typical 'Seema' factionist.

JP acted in more than 100 films along side the top heroes of Telugu films like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu.

Tributes poured in on Twitter from Nagarjuna, Venkatesh Daggubati, Mahesh Babu, Prakash Raj, Jr NTR, SS Rajamouli, Sudheer Babu, Genelia D'Souza, Kajal Aggarwal, Surender Reddy, Satyadev Kancharana and other actors and filmmakers.

Saddened by the passing of Jaya Prakash Reddy. Tollywood actor Mahesh Babu mentioned how the actor was Telugu film industry's finest actor. He said "Will always cherish the experience of working with him. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones," the tweet read.