Mahesh Babu, Namrata Shirodkar share statement after his dad Krishna's death: 'As they say, goodbyes aren't forever'

Actor Mahesh Babu, his wife Namrata Shirodkar and the rest of the Ghattamaneni family members on Tuesday mourned the death of veteran Telugu actor Krishna. Taking to Twitter, GMB Entertainment issued the first statement after Krishna's death. Apart from Mahesh and Namrata Shirodkar, the statement was also issued by their children--Gautham and Sitara as well as the actor's sisters Manjula, Padmavathi, and Priyadarshini Ghattamaneni. (Also Read | Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR mourn actor Krishna's death)

The statement read, "It is with the deepest grief that we inform you of the passing of our dearest Krishna garu. He was a superstar in so many ways beyond the movie screen... guided by love, humility and compassion. He will live on through his work, through us, and the many lives he influenced. He loved us more than anything and we will miss him more with each passing day... but as they say, goodbyes aren't forever. Until we meet again... - THE GHATTAMANENI FAMILY."

It was shared on Twitter with a folded hands emoji. Reacting to the post, a fan wrote, "Om Shanthi superstar, Legend, Padmabhushan Krishna Sir. Telugu People Missing Great Personality." Another person said, "Stay strong Mahesh anna..." "Take care, our hero," read a comment.

Krishna, 80, died at 4 am on Tuesday at a Hyderabad hospital where he was undergoing treatment following a cardiac arrest, as per news agency PTI. He was admitted to the hospital in the early hours of Monday and was put on a ventilator.

Ghattamaneni Sivarama Krishna, popularly known as Krishna, began his career in the early 1960s and acted in about 350 films. He earned fame with his cowboy roles and by introducing advanced technologies in filmmaking. Krishna was a Lok Sabha member from Eluru Parliamentary constituency, winning the elections in 1989.

Several film personalities also mourned his death. Actor Chiranjeevi in a statement posted on his Twitter page said he could not believe that Krishna is no more and offered condolences to his family members. "Krishna garu is another name for adventure. Apart from many experimental films and distinctive characters, your credit for introducing many techniques to Telugu cinema will always be remembered. My thoughts are with Mahesh Anna and the family. Om Shanthi. Superstar forever," Jr NTR tweeted.