Bengaluru: Veteran actor Jayanthi passed away due to ill health at her residence in Bengaluru on Monday. She was 76. Popularly called 'Abhinaya Sharade' (Goddess of acting), Jayanthi was a popular face in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam cinema besides Kannada.
Jayanthi was one of the most sought-after actor in South India, especially from the 1960-80s, and starred opposite legendary actors such as MG Ramachandran and Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar. She acted in over 500 films. Kasturi Nivasa, Miss Leelavathi, Sri Krishnadevaraya and Edakallu Guddada Mele are some of her most popular movies. She made her debut in Kannada cinema with Jenu Goodu (1963).