Theatre and television actor VP Cochin Nagesh, alias Khalid, has passed away. As per reports, he was 70.

The cause of death was a cardiac arrest at the location of Jude Anthany Joseph's ongoing film in Vaikom. After having his breakfast at the location, Khalid went to the restroom. When he did not return for a while, the crew members found him in a semi-conscious state there. Though he was immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital, he was declared brought dead. The body was later taken to the Government Medical College in Kottayam for post-mortem, according to the hospital authorities.

A Fort Kochi native, Khalid was a hugely popular stage actor. He was an active member of professional drama troupes including Cochin Sanathana, and Alleppey Theatre. He made his acting debut with the 1973-film Periyar directed by PJ Antony and later starred in films like Enipanikkal and Ponnapuram Kotta. He also became a noted actor when he took up acting in TV serials. He recently became popular for his character, Sumesh, in the popular Malayalam show, Marimayam.

Khalid is the father of director Khalid Rahman and cinematographers Shyju Khalid and Jimshi Khalid.