M Karunanidhi passes away: Rajinikanth, R Madhavan pay tribute

Karunanidhi

Calling it a "dark day" and an "inexplicable loss", celebrities, including Rajinikanth and Dulquer Salmaan, today mourned the death of DMK president M Karunanidhi.

Karunanidhi, one of the most charismatic figures of Tamil Nadu politics, died at a hospital in Chennai on Tuesday after prolonged illness. He was 94.

"With deep anguish, we announce the demise of our beloved Kalaignar Dr M Karunanidhi on 07.08.2018 at 06.10 PM. Despite the best possible efforts by our team of doctors and nurses to resuscitate him, he failed to respond. We profoundly mourn the loss of one of the tallest leaders of India and we share the grief of family members and fellow Tamilians worldwide," Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Executive Director of Kauvery Hospital, Chennai said in a statement while announcing his death.

Karunanidhi, who only 10 days ago completed 49 years as DMK chief, led his party through various ups and downs. He was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for five terms.

Following his demise, celebrities like Rajnikanth, Avinash Ravichandran, Hansika, Khusboo Sundar, Ritesh Deshmukh, Madhur Bhandarkar, Siddharth and R Madhavan paid tribute to him.

"The death of Kalaignar is an unforgettable, dark day in my life. May his soul rest in peace," said Rajinikanth, who himself is taking his first steps in Tamil Nadu politics.

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