Kannada film and television actor Dileep Raj passes away

Kannada actor Dileep Raj passed away on May 13, 2026 (Wednesday) after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 47.

Raj is survived by his wife, Srividya, and two children. After debuting with Boyfriend in 2005, Raj played his first prominent role in Milana (2009), starring Puneeth Rajkumar and Parvathy Thiruvothu. The movie was a blockbuster, enjoying a 500-day theatrical run.

Raj featured in romantic dramas such as Love Guru (2009) and Gana Bajaana (2010), both of which were known for their hit songs. Despite an encouraging start in movies, the actor failed to receive consistent opportunities.

A stop-start film journey forced Raj to venture into television serials. Raj played the lead and produced Hitler Kalyana, a hit serial that was aired on Zee Kannada from 2021 to 2024. Paru and Vidya Vinayaka are some of the other serials produced by Raj. He was also a voice artist. The actor dubbed for Chethan Kumar for Aa Dinagalu (2007), the acclaimed gangster drama directed by KM Chaitanya.

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Raj, who also performed in theatre, grabbed attention as a character artiste in well-known movies such as U-Turn (2016), Orchestra Mysuru (2023),and Nimma Vasthugalige Neeve Javaabdaararu (2025). The actor was last seen in Love Mocktail 3,the blockbuster third installment of the hit franchise from actor couple Darling Krishna and Milana Nagaraj.