The actress was just 35 years old when the mishap took place. The actress, who remained far from the film industry after her marriage, died when the stove in her kitchen blasted. Manjula, a reputed Kannada actress in the 1980s, died from a fire accident in 1986. Is Manjula dead? Why did Kannada Manjula died? Her death was caused by kidney failure and a blood clot in the stomach. Manjula died on 23 July 2013 in SRMC at Chennai after falling down from bed and being admitted to hospital.