Folk artist Mogilaiah of Balagam movie fame passes away

Mogilaiah had been battling for his life for an extended period, with both of his kidneys severely damaged. He was undergoing dialysis and receiving treatment at a private hospital in Warangal. A resident of Duggondi village in Warangal, he lived with his wife in a modest two-room tiled house near the local police station.

Hyderabad: Popular folk artist Pastham Mogilaiah aka Mogili, who shot to fame by rendering an elegy with his wife Komuramma in the Telugu blockbuster ‘Balagam’, passed away on Thursday morning. He was 67. He is survived by Komuramma and two children.

Mogilaiah was fighting for his life with both his kidneys being damaged for quite a long time. He was undergoing dialysis and receiving treatment in a private hospital in Warangal. A native of Duggondi village in Warangal, he used to live with his wife in a small tiled two-room house near the local police station. Though several philanthropists including ‘Balagam’ producer Dil Raju and director Yeldandi Venu had helped them financially, the artist couple were unable to handle the financial burden as they spent several lakhs of rupees for treatment for more than a year. The State government too had supported his treatment expenses.

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However, he breathed his last early on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, confusion prevailed among many people with many mistaking him for Padma Shri awardee and Kinnera musician Darshanam Mogulaiah.