Veteran playwright, actor, and theatre artist TS Lohithaswa passed away on Tuesday in Bengaluru. He was 80.

He was suffering from age-related issues and was admitted to a private hospital after he was diagnosed with an infection, where he suffered a heart attack. Lohithaswa, who hailed from Tondegere (Tumakuru district) was a noted personality of the 90s who juggled between theatre and films. Lohithaswa worked as a professor (of English) for 30 years and rose to fame on the silver screen.

The actor is mostly known for playing supporting characters and as a villain. He shared screen space with popular Kannada actors including the likes of Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Anant Nag, Ambareesh, Shankar Nag, and Shivarajkumar, among others. He was in demand to play the role of Chief Minister in several films. In a filmography sprawling across 3 decades and 500 films, some of his most notable works include SP Sangliana, Simhada Mari, Sarathi, Lock-Up Death, Abhimanyu, and Snehaloka to name a few. He was also part of the small screen and worked in popular TV serials like Malgudi Days directed by Shankar Nag, Natyarani Shakuntala directed by G V Iyer, and Girhabhanga by Girish Kasaravalli among others.  

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, DK Shivakumar (KPCC President), former CM HD Kumaraswamy, and celebrities from the Kannada film industry mourned the death of the senior actor. The last rites of Lohithaswa will be performed on Wednesday at his native village.

The senior actor is survived by his wife and three children, with one of them being actor Sharat Lohitashwa