He said Rao had been his friend for a very long time and recalled that much like the Tamil thespian Sivaji Ganesan, the Telugu star had also started his career as a stage artist, doing female roles, before gaining popularity in the silver screen.
When M G Ramachandran and Ganesan ruled the roost in Tamil cinema, another Telugu stalwart N T Rama Rao and Nageswara Rao were hailed as the "twin-heroes" of Telugu cinema, he said in a statement here.
"I extend my sincere condolences to his son Nagarjuna, his family members and friends in Telugu film industry," he said.