SINGAPORE - Singaporean actor and host Anandha Kannan, who had a three-decade-long career in Singapore and India, died on Monday (Aug 16). He was 48.

According to a report in Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, Kannan died of bile duct cancer. He died in Singapore.

Kannan started out as an actor and host on Mediacorp channel Vasantham before moving to Chennai, India, where he became a popular VJ, or video jockey, on station Sun TV.

He later acted in films like Tamil science-fiction movie Adhisaya Ulagam (World Of Wonders, 2012).

On Vasantham, Kannan hosted programmes such as game show Savaal Singapore (2013 to 2018). In 2011, he won Best Host at the station's awards show, Pradhana Vizha.

He was also active in Singapore's arts scene as a director of arts company AK Theatre and a trainer at entertainment and arts company AKT Creations.

Many of his contemporaries and fans took to social media to pay tribute and offer condolences.

Indian director Venkat Prabhu, who worked with Kannan in the 2008 Tamil comedy thriller Saroja, described him as "a great friend and a great human" in a tweet.

In social media posts, Vasantham paid tribute to Kannan, noting that he had done Singapore proud with a successful career as a VJ, TV host and actor in India from the late 1990s to the 2000s.

"His contribution to the local arts scene and the multiple roles he donned will continue to be an inspiration to many generations."

Singaporean singer-songwriter Shabir called him "a man who walked on his own path" in an Instagram post.

"He was an authentic human being who bridged his life experiences and virtues into his artistry. We have lost the human form of a very unique, precious, socially conscious, culturally enriched and supremely talented emcee, actor and personality."

In another Instagram post, Singaporean actor Jay Nesh wrote that Kannan was "a beautiful soul".

"He speaks ill of no one. Never seen him get angry. A positive ball of energy. He was an incomparable poetic blessed soul."

Correction note: An earlier version of the story said Kannan died in Trichy, a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, according to a report by Indian newspaper DT Next. This has been corrected.