On Thursday, Tamil Nadu woke up to the most unfortunate news of the demise of actor and politician Vijayakanth. The 71-year-old passed away after being diagnosed with pneumonia. While the film fraternity is taken by shock and grief, actor and politician Kamal Haasan took to his official X handle to pen a note on the demise. 

In his Tamil note, he started by grieving the loss by saying, "The news of the death of my beloved brother Vijayakanth, the founder of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), a unique actor and captain of Tamil cinema, who was loved by all, is deeply saddened." 

Further reminiscing about the late actor, Kamal wrote, "He lived with humanity in every action. He was the creator of innovative ideas in Tamilnadu politics. He had a helping hand extended to the poor. Fearless courage was his hallmark. Vijayakanth, a revolutionary artist who made his mark in both the fields of cinema and politics, will remain forever in our memories."

Lastly, the actor offered a few words of condolence to his family. "I offer my heartfelt condolences to all his family, volunteers and fans who are grieving his loss." 

Kamal Haasan shared screen space with Vijayakanth in the 1986 RC Shakthi film, Manakanakku. Vijayakanth is known to have had a prolific acting career, and also served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2016 and was the president of the political party Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam.

He is survived by his wife Premalatha and two sons.