Tamil film comedian and Padma Shri recipient Vivek died in a private hospital here on Saturday. He was 59.
He was admitted to SIMS Hospital on Friday morning after showing ‘acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock’.
The hospital said Vivek, who was in a critical condition, was supported on extramural membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
Vivek was brought to the hospital in an unconscious condition around 11:00 on Friday, the hospital said.
The hospital said he was rescued by emergency specialists and later underwent an emergency coronary angiogram, followed by an angioplasty.
According to the doctors, Vivek complained to his family members about chest pain.
The governor of Telangana and Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan, who mourned his death, said Vivek had spread good social messages through his comedy dialogue and the sober “Chinna Kalaivannara” or Little Kalaivannar (the late Tamil film comedian NS Krishnan the sobriquet Kalaivannar) earned and was also an environmentalist to plant lax trees.
Vivek, born as Vivekanandan in Kovilpattin, Tamil Nadu, made his entrance into the Tamil film field in 1987 in the film “Manathil Urudhi Vendum” directed by the late K. Balachander.
Soon he was much in demand and performed with top heroes like Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith, Surya and others. He has acted in more than 200 films.
Vivek was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009 and awarded the Kalaivannar Award by the Tamil Nadu government.
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