Veteran actor and politician Vijayakanth died on Thursday morning after suffering from health-related issues. He was 71. An official statement from the hospital said that he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

The actor had been tested positive for Covid-19 and taking treatment at Chennai's MIOT Hospital. Earlier in the day, a statement was released from Vijayakanth’s official social media handle that he had been suffering from breathing issues and had been put under ventilator.

A prolific actor, who was fondly called Captain, Vijayakanth was born on August 25, 1952, and predominantly worked in Tamil films. He also served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 2011 to 2016 and was the president of political party Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam.

Known for his action oriented and do-gooder roles, Vijayakanth made his debut with the 1979 film Inikuum Ilamai. However he tasted success with films like Doorathu Idi Muzhakkam and Satham Oru Iruttuarai in 1980 and 1981 respectively. The actor reigned over the Tamil industry in the 80s and 90s, and gave some of the super hits of the era, namely, Amman Kovil Kizhakale, Oomai Vizhigal, Captain Prabhakaran, Chinna Gounder, among others. In the 2000s, though the actor reduced the number of films he acted, Vijakanth gave some of the classics like Ramanaa, Engal Anna, which is spoken till date for his performances, and dialogues. The actor was last seen making a cameo appearance in the 2015 film Sagaptham.

He is survived by his wife Premalatha and two sons.