Tollywood music directors duo Raj and Koti are a sensation in Telugu cinema. The duo composed music for several stars during the 80s and 90s in Telugu cinema. Most of the Telugu musical hits are registered on their name during their time. 68-year-old Raj breathed his last yesterday night in Hyderabad. He suffered a massive heart attack and passed away in his residence in Hyderabad. Raj (Thotakura Venkata Somaraju) is born in Raghudevapuram near Rajahmundry in 1954 and he was into music right from his early days.

Though Koti is active in the film circles, Raj has been away from films for a long time. Raj and Koti started composing music in 1983 and they started their journey with Pralaya Gharjana. They composed music for films in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi films and they worked together for close to 180 films. They parted ways when they were working for the film Pokiri Raja. Raj is survived by his wife and three daughters Deepthi, Divya and Swetha. Rest in peace Raj and Telugu cinema will miss him.