Tamil actor Daniel Balaji, known for playing charismatic villain roles, passed away late on Friday. He was 48. The actor was reportedly rushed to a private hospital yesterday after he complained of chest pain where he succumbed to a heart attack. As soon as the news broke out on social media, tributes started pouring in for the star.

The actor who started his career in the industry by working as a unit production manager in Kamal Haasan's shelved film Marudhunayagam, broke into the scene through the famous serial Chithi, starring Radikaa Sarathkumar in the lead role. It was in that serial he got the screen name Daniel.

Daniel Balaji made his big screen debut in 2002 with April Madhathil. The seasoned actor is remembered for playing important roles in films like Kaakha Kaakha, Polladhavan, Vettaiyadu Vilayaadu, and Vada Chennai. A regular in Gautham Menon films, Daniel Balaji gave many invested performances and brought in personality to even some generic roles in his career. Over the last two decades, he worked in Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada industries as well, which garnered him recognition across India.

He was last seen in the Tamil film Ariyavan directed by Mithran Jawahar, which was released last year.