Telugu star Mahesh Babu mourned the loss of his elder brother Ghattamaneni Ramesh Babu, and said he was thankful to the veteran actor-producer for being his source of courage. According to the family, the 56-year-old producer, who was superstar Krishna's eldest son, passed away in Hyderabad on the night of Saturday, January 8, due to health complications.
Ramesh Babu reportedly suffered from liver-related ailments for a prolonged period, and he was taken to the hospital on Saturday night after his health took a turn. His younger brother Mahesh Babu took to Twitter and shared a note, grieving the loss of his beloved 'Annaya' or elder brother. "You have been my inspiration. You have been my strength. You have been my courage. You have been my everything. If not for you, I would not have been half the man I am today. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Now just rest...rest... Love you forever and ever and ever. In this life and if at all I have another, you'll always be my 'Annaya,'" the note read. Mahesh Babu himself is in isolation as he recently contracted COVID-19.
Ramesh Babu started his career as a child artist in his father Krishna's movies and later went on to feature in films like Samrat, Bazaar Rowdy, Anna Chellelu and Encounter in 1997, which marked his last screen outing.
After quitting his career as an actor in 1997, Ramesh Babu turned producer. He had even backed several of Mahesh Babu's films including hits like Athidhi, Dookudu, Aagadu and Arjun. Several personalities from Tollywood mourned his passing, including actor Chiranjeevi, Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, actors Sai Dharam Tej, Varun Tej and Nithiin, and filmmakers Anil Ravipudi and Gopichand Malineni also offered their condolences to Ramesh Babu’s family.