Bengaluru: Noted journalist and writer Ravi Belagere died after suffering a heart attack in the wee hours Friday.
Belagare (62) was rushed to hospital but he did not respond to treatment and passed away, sources said.
His mortal remains will be kept at his Prarthana School premises for people and dignitaries to pay their last respects.
Belagere was a known name in Karnataka from his popular Kannada tabloid “Hi Bangalore” and more than 70 of his literary works including fiction, translation, storytelling, column writing and biography.
He was known for his writings on the crime world and his column ‘Paapigala Lokadalli’, a series on the Bengaluru underworld was very popular.
He was a recipient of several awards including the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award, Rajyothsava award and the Karnataka Media Academy Award for Lifetime achievement among others.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa condoled Belagere’s death, recalling his works as a journalist and writer.
“I pray to the almighty to give courage to his family and fans to bear the loss,” he said in a tweet.
Born in Ballari on March 15, 1958, he became a household name with his unique and engaging style of writing.
He also had tried his hand in television and the silver screen.
His television programme ‘Crime Diary’ became extremely popular because of his unique narration skills and it was one of the very first crime programmes for the Kannada audience.
Belagere had done MA in History and Archaeology from Karnataka University.
He had also launched “O Manase”, a fortnightly magazine.