Bengaluru : Parvathamma Rajkumar, wife of matinee idol, Dr Rajkumar has passed away at the age of 78. She passed away at the M S Ramaiah hospital at Bengaluru at around 4.40 am today. Her body has been taken to her son Raghavendra Rajkumar’s residence. Like her husband, she too donated her eyes.

Her blood pressure dropped since last night following which she had a massive cardiac arrest at 4.40 a.m. Her malignancy had spread to the lungs and liver, said Ramaiah hospital president Naresh Shetty.

The body will be placed at the Poorna Pragna grounds for people to pay their last respects. The funeral will be held at the Sree Kanteerava Studio next to the Rajkumar memorial. Film shooting and exhibition of movies to be stopped today as a mark of respect.

Schools in the Sadashivnagar area are likely to be closed today. Officials say that parents must check with the school authorities before sending their children to school.

Various film personalities and politicians have condoled her death. Elaborate security arrangements are in place across the state. Security has been heightened in Bengaluru.

Parvathamma Rajkumar, a film producer has been on treatment at MS Ramaiah Hospital since May 14. She had been battling renal problems along with difficulty in breathing.

She had been on Ventilation. A few days she had undergone a procedure Tracheostomy, wherein a tube was inserted into windpipe in the neck to open up restricted airway if any and enable breathing. A day after the procedure, she had developed fever.

She was born at Saligrama of Mysore district in Karnataka on 6 December 1939 to Appaji Gowda and Lakshmamma. She was the second child among four sons and four daughters. Parvathamma married Rajkumar at the age of 13 on 25 June 1953.

She established a family firm for film production called Vajreshwari Combines or Poornima enterprises. The first movie she produced was Trimurthi with her husband in a lead role.

Her brothers S.A. Chinne Gowda, S.A. Govindaraj, and S.A. Srinivas are also film producers. She has produced over 80 films and launched her three sons as film stars. Her most successful films with her husband in a lead role include Trimurthy, Haalu Jenu, Kaviratna Kalidasa and Jeevana Chaitra.

She also produced Anand, Om, Janumada Jodi, and several other movies with her older son Shiv Rajkumar in lead role. Her son Raghavendra Rajkumar played the lead in Chiranjeevi Sudhakar, Nanjundi Kalyana, Swasthik and Tuvvi Tuvvi Tuvvi. Her youngest son Puneeth starred in Appu, Abhi and Hudugaru.