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ne of the founders of the Teater Gandrik in Yogyakarta, Heru Kesawa Murti, died during a nap at his house in Yogyakarta on Monday.

The actor and playwright was 53 and is survived by his wife, Muji Rahayu, and two children, Aditya Kameswara and Surnia Sri Isyana. He had a history of heart problems.

Heru founded Teater Gandrik in 1983 along with Jujuk Prabowo and Susilo Nugroho, among others. Shortly after, artists Butet Kartaredjasa and Djaduk Ferianto joined Teater Gandrik’s core team, making it one of the more prominent theater groups in Indonesia.

Teater Gandrik, known for its funny dialogue, often in Javanese, has produced more than 20 plays, most of which were written by Heru, including Pandol, the latest Teater Gandrik production that premiered last year.

Heru was also known in Yogyakarta as Pak Bina, a character he played in a TV series he wrote entitled Mbangun Desa (Building the Village) aired by state TV station TVRI Yogyakarta from 1988 to 2008.

The wake for Heru took place on Monday and Tuesday at Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja. A requiem mass was scheduled at noon on Tuesday.

The funeral would be on Tuesday after the mass at Bagong’s family cemetery in Sembungan village in Kasihan, Bantul.

Butet said on Sunday night that most of Gandrik’s members, including Heru, gathered in Butet’s house in Yogyakarta in an uncharacteristically “full” gathering. “Everyone was there, which was rare,” he said. Butet said the gathering was full of laughter, more than usual.