Malayalam actor Kanakalatha died on Monday, May 6 due to prolonged illness at her residence in Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala. She was 63 years old. She had been suffering from Parkinson's disease and dementia for the last few years, and was last seen in Ganesh Raj’s 2023 film Pookkaalam. The funeral ceremony of the actor will be held on Tuesday, May 7. 

Kanakalatha was known for her supporting character roles in many films, including Chillu (1982), Rajavinte Makan (1986), Kireedam (1989), Spadikam (1995), Thacholi Varghese Chekavar (1995), Varnapakittu (1997), Guru (1997), and so on. A native of Kollam, she came to films from theatre, and has in more than four decades, acted in over 350 films.

Though her first role was in the 1980 film Unarthupattu, it did not release in theatres. She was first seen in Lenin Rajendran’s film Chillu. She also worked in a number of Tamil films including Karpooramullai and Kadavul Sakshi.

Kanakalatha was also active in television serials like Kadamattathu Kathanar, Ente Manasaputhri, and Paliyathachan.