Legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan’s eldest daughter Shanthi dies at 71

Chennai: Shanthi Narayanasamy, the eldest daughter of legendary Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan, passed away here on Sunday following a brief illness, family sources said.

She was 71.

Shanthi breathed her last in the city after experiencing health-related complications over the past few days, they said.

She is survived by her siblings -- film producer Ramkumar, actor Prabhu and sister Thenmozhi.

She was the firstborn child of the late thespian and his wife Kamala Ganesan.

Though staying largely away from the limelight compared to her brothers, Shanthi shared a deep connection with Tamil cinema history. Her father famously named Chennai's iconic Shanthi Theatre, a longstanding cultural landmark on Anna Salai, in her honour.

She also made her mark in the industry behind the scenes, notably producing her father's 1974 blockbuster film 'Thangapathakkam'.

Several political leaders and members of the Tamil film fraternity have reached out to the family to express their condolences over her demise.