Bengaluru: The 39-year-old Tollywood actor Nandamuri Taraka Ratna passed away after a nearly month long hospitalisation due to massive cardiac arrest at Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in the city yesterday.

Taraka Ratna, who belonged to the third generation of illustrious Nandamuri family, was the grandson of enigma of Telugu filmdom and former Chief Minister late N.T. Ramarao, popular as NTR.

Taraka Ratna had joined Yuva Galam padayatra launched by his cousin and National General Secretary of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Nara Lokesh at Kuppam in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, on Jan. 27, when he collapsed due to massive cardiac arrest. Following the resuscitation of his condition at a nearby hospital in Kuppam, Taraka Ratna had been shifted to Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bengaluru on Jan. 28.

Taraka Ratna though got initial success in films, later didn’t get much footing and was strongly pursuing his political ambitions to make a mark, from TDP founded by his grandfather NTR, it is said.

He leaves behind his wife Alekhya Reddy, 10-year-old daughter Nishka, father Nandamuri Mohana Krishna, mother Shanti Mohan, a large number of relatives and friends.

The last rites will be performed at Vaikunta Mahaprasthanam in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana on Monday (Feb. 20).