Legendary film producer S.A. Rajkannu, who gave Tamil cinema the timeless classic ' '16 Vayadinile' has passed away at the age of 80. He reportedly had a fall at his house in Chittalapakkam near Tambaram and underwent treatment for more than a month but breathed his last without recovering.

Rajkannu will forever be remembered as the one who not only introduced Bharathiraja to the film industry but also gave a huge boost to the careers of other legends Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Sridevi, Ilayaraja.K. Bhagyaraj and Goundamani. He also introduced Radhika Sarathkumar to films.

Raj Kannu's other notable productions are 'Kizhake Pogum Rail', 'Kanni Paruvathile', 'Valibamey Vaa Vaa'. 'Enga Chinna Rasa' and Kamal Haasan's 'Mahanadhi'. He has also produced and directed the film 'Arthangal Aayiram'. Celebrities including Bharathiraja and Radhika Sarathkumar have paid rich tributes to S.A. Rajkannu on social media. RIP!

"16 வயதினிலே"திரைப்படத்தின்
வாயிலாக என்னை இயக்குனராக
அறிமுகம் செய்து, என் வாழ்வில்
ஒளி விளக்கு ஏற்றிச் சென்ற
என் முதலாளி
திரு. S.A.ராஜ்கண்ணு அவர்களின்
மறைவு,பேரதிர்ச்சியும், வேதனையும், அளிக்கிறது.
அவரின் மறைவு எனக்கும்
என் குடும்பத்தினருக்கும் பேரிழப்பாகும். ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கல். pic.twitter.com/OGMSc2DnQv

— Bharathiraja (@offBharathiraja) July 11, 2023

#SARajkannu my first producer for my debut film #kizhakeypogumrail, who is a big part of my journey in films. Have great respect and wonderful memory of him always. Pray for his soul to rest in peace 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/DNgbfbhmQh

— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) July 12, 2023