Akkineni Nageswara Rao was a stalwart: Narendra Modi

Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi mourned the death of legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao and said he was among the "stalwarts" of Indian cinema.

"Akkineni Nageswara Rao was one of the Indian cinema's stalwarts, who will be remembered for his rich contribution. Saddened by his demise. RIP," Modi posted on his Twitter page Wednesday.

The Telugu actor succumbed to cancer Wednesday morning. He was 89.

Popularly known as ANR, he is survived by three daughters and two sons, including popular actor Nagarjuna.

He made his debut in 1941 with "Dharmapatni" and is known for his performances in "Devadasu", "Laila Majnu", "Anarkali", "Premabhishekham", "Prema Nagar" and "Megha Sandesham".

Before falling ill, he was shooting for "Manam" with his son Nagarjuna and grandson Naga Chaitanya.