Popular Tamil actor and social activist Vivekh dies, fans, fraternity in grief
The untimely death of popular actor and social activist Vivekh at the age of 59 on Saturday after he suffered a massive heart attack left the Tamil film fraternity and fans in deep grief. Vivekh breathed his last at 4.35 am. He was cremated with police honours at the electric crematorium in Mettukuppam this evening.
The actor, a Padma Shri recipient and who has acted in over 200 films with top Tamil heroes, is known for his work on social issues and the environmental protection front. He actively campaigned and involved himself in planting saplings and afforestation. He also collaborated with the government in disseminating significant social awareness messages to the public on TV including the latest on preventing coronavirus spread. It was heart-wrenching to note that his tweets, which he had posted to condole Abdul Kalam’s death, going viral. The post of Vivekh, which is in Tamil, roughly translates as, “A simple, selfless and clean life too will end someday. However, many die away! But only few will live on even after death”. An admirer of late president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, he was actively engaged in planting one crore tree saplings through his Green Kalam initiative. Prime Minister Modi, chief minister K. Palaniswami, DMK president M.K. Stalin, actor Rajinikanth, Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Haasan were among those who expressed shock and grief over his death and conveyed their condolences to the bereaved.
On Friday morning, an unconscious Vivekh was brought to the SIMS hospital in Chennai. He reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest due to a 100 per cent blockage in the heart vessel. The hospital said in a statement that the actor was revived and underwent an emergency coronary angiogram followed by angioplasty. He was then put on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support at the intensive care unit. Dr Raju Sivasamy, vice president of SIMS hospital, said Vivekh’s condition was not related to the vaccine he took on Thursday. “He suffered an acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock. This is a separate cardiac event. It may not be due to Covid vaccination.” He also confirmed that he was not infected with the deadly virus. Vivekh is survived by his wife Arulselvi and two daughters Amrithanandini and Tejaswini.