Telugu lyricist Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, who was hospitalised for lung-related ailments, passed away on Tuesday, November 30. The 66-year-old poet and lyricist was being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital in Secunderabad. Seetharama Sastry had been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia earlier on November 24. He was put on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) treatment to support his lungs and was under close observation, the hospital said, announcing his demise. 

Earlier on Monday, the hospital released a health bulletin that said his condition was stable. However, he died of lung cancer related complications at 4.07 pm on Tuesday, KIMS Medical Director Dr Sambit Sahu said. 

Born in Anakapalle of Visakhapatnam district in 1955, Chembolu Seetharama Sastry, better known as Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, has penned lyrics for over 3,000 songs. He earned the prefix to his name after writing songs for the 1986 film Sirivennela directed by K Viswanath, which had many memorable songs, including 'Vidhata Thalapuna' and 'Adibhikshuvu Vadinedi Koredhi.' He has remained a prominent lyricist in Telugu films for the past three and a half decades. 

He is celebrated for his songs in the works of K Viswanath like Swayamkrushi, Swarnakamalam, Swati Kiranam, Rudra Veena etc. He is also remembered for popular songs from films like Shiva, Kshana Kshanam, Gulabi, Ninne Pelladata, and more recently films like Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana, Gamyam, Kanche, and Sammohanam, among many others. He also wrote the lyrics for recent hit songs including 'Samajavaragamana' from Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, and 'Dosti' from the upcoming RRR. 

Seetharama Sastry was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions in the field of arts and aesthetics, along with 11 state Nandi Awards and four Filmfare Awards South for his contribution to the film industry as a lyricist. Many fans and Telugu film audiences expressed condolences over his demise.