Telegu comedian Gundu Hanmanta Rao died at his Hyderabad home on Monday at the age of 61. The actor had been undergoing treatment for kidney and heart ailments. He is survived by a son.

Rao made his film debut in 1987 with Jandhyala’s Aha Na Pellanta, in which he played a hearing-impaired man. His most memorable performances was as Anji the chef in the popular Telugu television sitcom Amrutham, which ran from 2001 to 2007.

His notable film credits include llaniki Premalekha Priyuraliki Subhalekha (1992), Mayaloodu (1993), Kedi No1 (2004), Apparao Driving School (2004), Panchamukhi (2010), Sri Sai Sankalpam (2012), and Mano Balam (2015). Rao collaborated most frequently with director SV Krishna Reddy, appearing in comic roles in his films. In all, he had acted in more than 400 movies, winning three Nandi Awards from the Andhra Pradesh Government, one of them for Amrutham.

Tributes to the actor poured in on Twitter.