Popular Tollywood choreographer Rakesh Master died after a brief illness here on Sunday. He was 53.

The choreographer fell ill while returning to Hyderabad after attending an outdoor shoot in Visakhapatnam a week ago.

As his condition deteriorated, he was admitted to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, where he breathed his last on Sunday evening. According to doctors, he suffered multi-organ failure. He was diabetic and diagnosed with severe metabolic acidosis. His death sent shock waves in the film industry.

Rakesh Master, who began his career with dance reality shows like "Aata" and "Dhee", later entered the film industry. He acted as a choreographer for about 1,500 movies and delivered several hit songs.

Born in Tirupati, his real name was S. Rama Rao. He worked under Master Mukku Raju in Hyderabad for some time before beginning his career as dance master.

He worked with many top actors like Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, Mahesh Babu, Ram Pothineni and Prabhas but had been staying away from the industry for some time.

Some of his interviews on social media had become controversial. In some interviews, he had made allegations against some film personalities for damaging his career.

Top Tollywood choreographer Sekhar Master is also a disciple of Rakesh Master. (IANS/NS)