Popular actor and folk singer Kalabhavan Mani passed away today, 6th March battling a liver ailment. He was admitted at Amrita Hospital, Kochi in a critical condition a few days back. He was admitted to the ICU, but passed away at around 7:45 pm today. He was 45.

Beginning his career as a mimicry artiste, Kalabahavan Mani soon became a well known actor. he rose to the forefront in 'Sallapam', which incidentally was Dileep's first hit too. He was an auto driver at Chalakuddy before he became an actor. His career spanning over decades has seen him in over 200 films playing diverse roles including comic and villainous ones. He is popular in Tamil too. 'Lakshmiyum Vasanthiyum Pinne Njanum' in which he acted as a blind person won him special jury mention at both State and National levels. His songs are also popular. Latest reports were that he was being considered to contest in the upcoming elections from Chalakuddy.