Hyderabad, Jan 22 (IANS): Both houses of Andhra Pradesh legislature Wednesday condoled the death of legendary Telugu film actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao.

Members in the assembly and council observed two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the thespian, who died in the early hours of the day.

Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar recalled the services rendered by ANR, as the late actor was fondly called, to the development of Telugu cinema.

Council chairman A. Chakrapani also paid tributes to ANR, saying he was not only an extraordinary actor but a gentleman. He described the passing away of the actor as a great loss to the film industry.

Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah, a former state chief minister, have condoled the death of ANR.

Rosaiah, in his message, pointed out how ANR, despite coming from a modest background, rose to dizzy heights of popularity.

Leaders cutting across party lines also paid their tributes to ANR. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former chief minister and N. Chandrababu Naidu, YSR Congress chief Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao, Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary K. Narayana and Lok Satta president Jayaprakash Narayan also paid tributes to ANR.