Kochi, July 29 (IANS) Veteran Malayalam character actor Rajan P. Dev died here early Wednesday following brief illness, family sources said. He was 58.

Dev died at a private hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment for a liver disorder.

The funeral will take place at St. Xavier's church in Angamaly, about 40 km from here, Thursday morning.

Born in Chertala in Alappuzha district, Dev began his film career in 1980 with small roles. He soon became popular as a villain.

In a career spanning close to three decades, he acted in about 180 films, including those in Tamil, Telegu and Kannada.

Dev also immortalised the character Kochu Vava in the hit play "Kattukuthira" that was staged over a thousand times across Kerala.

However, when the drama was made into a film with the same name, the role was played by another veteran actor Thilakan.

"Malayalam films will be poorer with Dev's death but his characters will live for a long time," Thilakan told IANS.

Dev's last film was "Ee Patanathil Bhootham", starring superstar Mammootty, which is currently running in theatres.