Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa (68) passed away at 11:30 pm on Monday after she suffered a cardiac arrest the day before, Apollo Hospital said. The former actress – turned politician, popularly known as Amma, was being treated at Chennai’s Apollo Hospital, where she has spent over two months being treated for fever, dehydration and underlying co-morbidities.
A 3-day holiday has been declared in the state of Tamil Nadu as violence broke out at Apollo hospital as soon as the news started trickling out of her demise.
Jayalalithaa’s body will be kept at Rajaji Hall for people to pay last respects
Party MLAs had met a few hours earlier on Monday apparently to chalk out the next course of action. Though party sources did not reveal the agenda of the meeting, they however, confirmed that in all likelihood O Panneerselvam would be chosen as the leader of the AIADMK legislative party.
It came as a big setback for her supporters who had been waiting for her to recover from her earlier illness and return to office. The AIADMK chief suffered the cardiac arrest hours after her party told media that she has fully recovered and will be returning home soon.
Born in 1948, Jayalalithaa started her career as an actress in South Indian films. In 1982, she joined the AIADMK, which was founded by her mentor MG Ramachandran. She first became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1991. She has ruled the state for over 15 years.