Senior actor Ranganath passes away; suicide suspected

Senior actor Ranganath died under suspicious circumstances at his Kavadiguda residence in the city on Saturday. His body was found hanging from the kitchen ceiling. He is suspected to have committed suicide.
His wife had passed away some years ago and Ranganath reportedly had been depressed. He is survived by his two sons and a daughter.
Ranganath acted in more than 300 films during his career spanning 46 years.Born Tirumala Sundara Sri Ranganath, he was a ticket collector in the railways before he started acting in films. The 66-year-old acted in as many as 50 films as a hero and another 60 as a villain. In several other films, he was seen in character roles.
Ranganath was born in Chennai and had a degree from Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati. He got his first break in 1969 with the film 'Buddimantudu'. It was in 1974 that he was chosen to play the main lead in the film 'Chandana'.
The actor endeared himself to the audience through his sensitive portrayal of roles. Some of his most popular films include 'Intinti Ramayanam', 'Zamindaru garu Ammayyi', 'Panthulamma', 'Andame Anandam', 'Mavuri Devatha', 'Kondaveeti Donga', 'Thayaramma Bangarayya', 'Rama Chiluka', 'Khaidi', 'America Ammayi', 'Devathalara Deevinchandi' and 'Sriramadasu'. Apart from acting in several serials, he also directed a film titled 'Moguds Pellams'.