"Kerala Sigal" Joseph passes away

He passed away unsung at a private hospital here yesterday, a day after performing a small roll in the Malayalam film "Kaassh" whose shoot was in progress at nearby Edakochi.

Rodriguez, 81, look ill on Friday night and was admitted to the hospital. He is survived by wife, a son and a daughter.

He had essayed small rolls in nearby 600 films and had shared screen space with late M G Ramachandran (MGR), Sivaji Ganesan, N T Rama Rao and Raj Kumar in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films.

He began singing in local ferries to make both ends meet when he was noticed by veteran singer K J Yesudas's father Augustine Joseph, who advised him to go to Chennai.

In Chennai, he became a singer and actor in various Tamil plays and was a member of Sivaji Ganesan's drama troupe.

According to industry sources, Joseph got the "Sigal" tag after Sivaji was impressed by his rendition of K L Sigal's "So Ja Rajakumar".

Despite being in the industry for several decades, only small rolls came his way and he remained as a junior artiste throughout. He was also part of chorus in Malayalam films.

Union Minister Prof K V Thomas, Malayalam actors Mammooty, Innocent and Music Director M K Arjunan were among those who paid their respects.

The funeral was held at St Mary's Church at Edakochi here today.