In 2013, Tollywood lost several film personalities who had contributed to the film industry in their respective fields.

Srihari (1964-2013)

Actor Srihari's sudden death shocked the whole Telugu film industry.

The actor, who was reportedly suffering from liver ailment, passed away at Mumbai's Lilavati hospital on 9 October.

Srihari began his film career doing antagonist roles, but later started playing hero roles. He has also worked as a character artiste in several films. Some of his notable performances are in films including "Magadheera", "Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana", "Brindavanam" and Tamil film "Vettaikaran."

He was last seen in the recently released Hindi film "R...Rajkumar", directed by actor-cum-director Prabhu Deva.

Dharmavarapu Subramanyam (1960-2013)

Comedian Dharmavarapu Subramanyam, who was suffering from cancer, died on 7 December.

The actor was hospitalized owing to ill health, but was discharged a few days ago before his death. He died at his residence in Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad.

Dharmavarapu Subramanyam became popular through the hit television show "Anando Brahma" in the 1980s. He starred in his first film - "Jayammu Nischayammura" - in 1989. Later, he did over 100 films in a career spanning around 24 years.

The comedian has been part of several hit films including "Darling", "Chirutha", "Businessman", "Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana" and "Bodyguard" among others. He has won many awards and honours for his contribution to films.

The actor is survived by his wife and two sons.

Aamanchi Venkata Subrahmanyam (AVS) (1957-2013)

Veteran Telugu actor AVS died of liver ailment at his residence in Hyderabad on 8 November.

AVS was suffering from liver related problems following which he underwent a liver transplant in 2008. However, he contracted a liver infection recently and was admitted to the hospital. As the doctors told family members that the actor could not be completely cured, he was discharged from the hospital and was shifted to his residence. Soon after, he passed away.

The actor made his acting debut with the 1993-release "Mr Pellam." In a career spanning around 20 years, AVS has worked in several Telugu films. He has entertained fans with his humour and has also taken up various roles such as a scriptwriter, director and a producer.

Manjula Vijayakumar (1953-2013)

Veteran actress Manjula, who has worked in several south Indian films, passed away on 23 July after suffering from a stomach injury.

Manjula began her acting career with 1969-release "Shanthi Nilayam" in which she appeared in a supporting role. Her first film as the lead female actor was in MG Ramachandran's "Rickshawkaran" (1971), after which starred with most of the top heroes in Tamil and Telugu film industry.

The talented actress started appearing in supporting roles in the late 80s. She has acted in over 100 films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film industries.

Manjula is survived by her actor-husband Vijayakumar and three daughters.

Boochepalli Kamalakar Reddy

Film actor Kamalakar Reddy died in Chennai following health problems.

On 24 June, the actor attended the audio release of his film "Band Balu" in Hyderabad. He reportedly slipped and fell down and also suffered from neurological problems. Kamalakar was later admitted to a private hospital in Chennai. However, he breathed his last on 13 July.

Kamalakar joined the film industry with "Abhi" and has also worked in films such as "Hasini" and "Sanchalanam."

The actor is survived by his wife and two children.

"Kushi" Murali (1963-2013)

Notable singer "Kushi" Murali" died of a massive cardiac arrest in January this year.

The singer, known for his popular songs in films such as "Kushi" and "Pokkiri", passed away on his way from Chennai to a concert in Kakinada. Murali was reportedly coming to Kakinada by Circar Express along with his troupe members to perform at a concert. But he died on the way after suffering from a cardiac arrest.

Murali has sung over 500 film songs and 1,000 devotional songs. Some of his hit songs include "Kevvu Keka" from "Gabbar Singh", "Aaduvari Maatalaku Arthale Verule" from "Kushi" and "Ippatikinka Naa Vayasu Ninda Padahare" from "Pokkiri."

JV Raghavulu

Eminent music composer and playback singer JV Raghavalu passed away in June, following illness. He was 82.

JV Raghavulu, hailing from Ramachandrapuram in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, worked under popular singer and composer Ghantasala, family sources told the Press Trust of India. He has also worked with popular music composers K V Mahadevan and M S Viswanathan for some time.

He debuted as a music director in 1970-release "Drohi." Since then, he has composed songs for around 170 films. Raghavulu has also sung several popular songs and some of his hit numbers include "Janani Janmabhoomischa", "Tarangini O Tarangini" and "Jeevana Tarangalao" among others.