Bengaluru, 14 April

Senior Kannada comedy actor 'Bank' Janardhan passed away at a private hospital here during the early hours on Monday, his family sources said.

The 76-year-old actor died at around 2.30 AM, they said.

Janardhan, who is basically from Holalkere in Chitradurga district, is survived by a son and three daughters.

According to his son Guru, he has not been keeping well for the last twenty days and was hospitalised. He had recovered in between and had come home, but had to be hospitalised again on Friday as he complained of breathing issues.

He was undergoing treatment in ICU under oxygen support, but things complicated with serious breathing issues last night and developed kidney failure, and died at around 2.30 AM. "We expected him to recover, but we lost him...."

Janardhan has acted in a number of television serials and over 500 films.

It is said that earlier he continued to work in a bank while acting, and people began calling him 'Bank' Janardhan and the name stuck to him. He has also acted in several stage plays.

Some of notable films of Janardhan as an actor include 'News' (2005), 'Shhh' (1993),' Tharle Nan Maga' (1992), 'Ganesha Subramanya' (1992), among others.

His popular Kannada television serials are 'Paapa Pandu', 'Robo Family' among others.