Actor Santhosh Balaraj, known for his rugged screen presence in Kannada cinema, passed away on Tuesday at a private hospital in Bengaluru, as per media reports. He was 34.

Santhosh, son of late producer Anekal Balaraj, breathed his last around 9.30am at Apollo Hospital in Kumaraswamy Layout, where he had been under intensive care for complications related to liver and kidney dysfunction. He had been battling severe jaundice, according to a report by The Week.

The actor was first hospitalised last month after being diagnosed with jaundice. Though his condition showed brief signs of improvement, he was readmitted after a sudden deterioration.

Earlier this week, reports confirmed that he had slipped into a coma and was in critical condition. Despite medical intervention in the ICU, multiple organ failure led to his death.

Santhosh made his acting debut with the 2009 film Kempa. His breakout role came in 2015’s Ganapa, where he played a common man forced to take law into his own hands. He also starred in films like Olavina Ole (2012) and Janma (2013).

Santosh’s last film was 2017’s Kariya 2, an action romance set in the criminal underworld.