Vijayakanth, who was fondly called 'Captain' by his fans and followers, has breathed his last on Thursday at the age of 71 in Chennai due to pneumonia.
Though Vijayakanth wasn't active in cinema and in politics nearly for a decade, he strongly remained a household name in Tamil Nadu due to which the news of his demise has immensely saddened the whole state.
In the midst of the melancholy brought by Vijayakanth's demise, the party has issued an official statement announcing that Vijayakanth has breathed his last at 6.10 am on Thursday.
Prime Minister Modi wrote, "Extremely saddened by the passing away of Thiru Vijayakanth Ji. A legend of the Tamil film world, his charismatic performances captured the hearts of millions."
Chief Minister MK Stalin said that the loss of Vijayakanth, who was fondly called as 'Captain' by Tamil people, is a huge disaster to Tamil Nadu and the Tamil film industry.
With the general elections are approaching, all eyes are on Mallikarjun Kharge, the national president of the Congress party and presumably a national opponent to take on Modi.
Elected from the Thirukoilur constituency in the 2021 assembly polls, Ponmudi had been serving as the Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Education in MK Stalin's cabinet.