Actor, green crusader Vivekh dies
CHENNAI: Popular Tamil comedian Vivekh who won the hearts of millions of people by his sharp wit and was noted for his social work, promoting environmental protection, passed away on Saturday morning at 4.35 am after he failed to respond to treatment following a massive cardiac arrest on Friday. He was 59.
The actor was admitted to a private hospital and angioplasty was performed after he was detected with a fully blocked artery. He had been critical. According to a medical bulletin, the actor suffered from 100% blockage in the left anterior descending artery vessel that led to cardiac arrest. As the actor had received his first vaccine dose on Thursday, speculation was rife that this could have caused his cardiac arrest. However, Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and the doctors of the private hospital later clarified that his inoculation was independent of his health breakdown. Vivekh is survived by his wife and two daughters. His son Prasanna Kumar passed away at the age of 13 in 2015 reportedly due to brain fever and other complications.
The comedian has performed in more than 500 films and planted 33.23 lakh saplings according to his verified Twitter handle and his social work earned him praise from his fans, the people and the government for collaborating with it for public cause.A Padma Shri recipient, Vivekh acted with top Tamil heroes, including Rajinikanth, Vijay and Ajith Kumar and has performed in lead roles in Palakkadu Madhavan, Nan Dhaan Bala, and Vellai Pookal. The 2020 comedy movie Dharala Prabhu was his last movie.
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam in his tweet said that the demise of Padma Shree Vivek was a great loss to this community and to the Tamil film industry. He added that the actor spread many ideas of social reform through films.
“Vivekh is not just an actor but he is a strong think tank who spread the Dravidian ideologies that questioned the superstitious believes. He was also a naturalist concerned about the environment,” Jayakumar said after paying tributes on behalf of the state government.
Information minister Kadambur Raju heaped praises on Vivekh and said he had planted thousands of trees in his native Kovilpatti constituency and said that the actor had a special affinity towards his native place in Kovilpatti. On Thursday, actor Vivekh took the corona vaccine at the Government General Hospital and insisted the public take up the COVID vaccines at the earliest. Vivekh’s last public appeal was demanding them to practice social distancing to break the COVID-19 chain.