Popular Malayalam actor Kottayam Pradeep breathed his last following a heart attack on Thursday. He was 61 and survived by his wife Maya and two children. Pradeep, who started his acting career in 2001 at the age of 40, mostly donned comedy roles. His first break was in Ee Nadu Enale Vare, directed by IV Sasi and had acted in over 70 movies till date. In Tamil, he grabbed the attention of cinephiles with his role in Gautham Vasudev Menon's popular film ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa’. He played the relative of Jessie, played by Trisha. The movie was a breakthrough in Kottayam Pradeep’s career.

Some of Kottayam Pradeep's popular movies include ‘Adi Kapyare Kootamani’, ‘Aadu Oru Bheegara Jeevi Aanu’, ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’, ' ‘Life of Josutty’, ‘Kunjiramayanam’, ‘Welcome to Central Jail’, ‘Amar Akbar Antony’, ‘Kattappanayile Rithwik Roshan’ and many others. His upcoming release is Mohanlal's Aaraattu, that is slated to release on February 18. Pradeep is playing a pivotal role in the movie.