Padmini, legendary actress of yesteryear and a famous exponent of the Bharat Natyam dance form, died of a heart attack in Chennai late Sunday night.

The actress, who was amongst the first heroines to make it big in the Tamil film industry, breathed her last at Apollo Hospital. She was 74.

Padmini -- who was the second of the three famous Travancore Sisters, along with Lalitha and Ragini, made her last public appearance at a function to felicitate Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on September 23.

Padmini acted in more than 250 Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films since 1949.

Born in Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on June 12, 1932, Padmini made her debut in the Hindi film Kalpana. Her first Tamil film was Manamagal (1950) made by the legendary N S Krishnan.

Padmini paired with the late Sivaji Ganeshan and M G Ramachandran in many films. She also starred with Raj Kapoor in Jish Des Mein Ganga Behti Hai, Aashiq and Mera Naam Joker.