Veteran public relations officer (PRO) and producer of Telugu cinema, BA Raju, passed away due to cardiac arrest late on Friday. He was 57 and is survived by two sons.

BA Raju, popularly known as Super Hit Raju, started his career as a journalist and later worked as a personal publicist to veteran actor Krishna. He has worked in over 1000 films and is currently serving as a personal publicist to several popular actors including Nandamuri Balakrishna, Akkineni Nagarjuna, and Mahesh Babu.

BA Raju turned producer with Premalo Pavani Kalyan (2002). Directed by Polur Ghatikachalam, the film featured Deepak and Ankita as the lead actors. He continued to produce several films like Chantigadu, Premikulu, Lovely, and Vaisakham. 

Raju's wife and journalist-turned-director, B Jaya, passed away due to cardiac arrest on August 30, 2018. His elder son Boyidapu Arun Kumar is working as a VFX artist while his youngest son B Shiva Kumar is currently awaiting the release of his directorial debut, 22.

Raju is currently associated with Mahesh Babu-starrer Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Balakrishna's upcoming film Akhanda, and Pelli SandaD as the publicist.