Actor turned politician, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founder Vijayakanth who was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday [December 16, 2023] for pneumonia, has passed away on December 28, 2023 at the age of 71. Early on Thursday, DMDK headquarters announced that Vijayakanth had tested positive for COVID-19 and has been on ventilator support. News of Vijaykanth's death followed soon after. 

Vijaykanth is survived by his wife Premalatha and sons Shanmuga Pandian and Vijaya Prabhakaran. Premalatha recently took over as the while Shanmuga Pandian is also an actor in the Tamil film industry. Born Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami, Vijayakanth was active in films from 1980 until 2009. He launched DMDK in 2006 and had a significant hold in politics until 2016. 

Between 2017 and 2018, Vijakanth's health detoriated as a result of an organ transplant. In June 2022, his toes were amputated following prolonged diabetes. Vijayakanth had been in and out of hospitals and critical medical care ever since.