Kannada Actor Dileep Raj Passes Away at 47

Kannada film and television actor Dileep Raj passed away on May 13, following a massive heart attack. Reports suggest that the actor was admitted to Apollo Hospital, where doctors tried to revive him.

The actor is known for his roles in films such as Puneeth Rajkumar's blockbuster Milana (2007), Love Guru (2009), and the popular Zee Kannada serial Hitler Kalyana, which aired between 2021 and 2024.

According to a report by The Hindu, the actor is survived by his wife, Srividya, and two children. Dileep, who was last seen in Darling Krishna and Milana's latest film in the Love Mocktail trilogy, is also noted for his roles in films such as U-Turn (2016), Orchestra Mysuru (2023), and Nimma Vasthugalige Neeve Javaabdaararu (2025). 

Tributes from the industry poured in for the actor on Wednesday. Kannada filmmaker-actor Rishab Shetty mourned Dileep's loss on X. "A good actor, director, producer, and above all, a good human being… Even if we met only a handful of times, the impression of a personality etched in our minds cannot be erased. May your soul rest in peace," Shetty wrote.

"Deeply saddened by passing of gifted artist Dileep Raj at age of 47 I worked directly w/ Mr Raj in 2009 during our song shooting in Goa; he was creative, kind & cool Im especially thankful to him for giving life to my characters as a dubbing artist He will be fondly remembered," wrote actor Chetan Kumar. Dileep Raj dubbed for Chetan Kumar for Aa Dinagalu (2007), the popular Kannada gangster drama directed by KM Chaitanya.