Veteran Tamil actor Vivekh passed away in Chennai on Saturday morning. He was 59. The actor died following a cardiac arrest at 4.35am on Saturday.
According to doctors, the actor had a 100% blockage in the LAD (left anterior descending artery) vessel which led to a massive cardiac arrest.
Earlier, on Friday, the hospital as well as Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said at a press meet that the cause of the cardiac arrest was unlikely to be the COVID-19 vaccine that Vivekh had taken on Thursday.
Vivekh was brought to the hospital at 11 AM Friday in an unconscious condition by his family members and immediately after admission, the emergency and cardiac team resuscitated him.
Angioplasty and stenting was performed as one of the critical blood vessels in his left coronary artery - left anterior descending artery - had a block.
"It took nearly an hour for the doctors to remove the block. He was then put on an ECMO. His is an acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock and not related to the vaccine," Dr Sivasamy told reporters and added that test and CT reports showed that the actor did not have COVID-19. The actor underwent emergency coronary angiogram followed by angioplasty.
"This is a separate cardiac event. It may not be due to COVID vaccination," Dr Vijayakumar Chockken, director, medical services said.
Vivekh, a Padma Shree recipient, has acted with top Tamil heroes, including Rajinikanth, Vijay and Ajith Kumar.
Born as Vivekanandan in Kovilpatti, Vivekh began his career as standup comedian during his college. Later, he was employed with the state government.
His entered into films after veteran director K Balachander, in 1987, offered a supporting character role to Vivekh in the film Manathil Urudhi Vendum.
He has also appeared as the lead artiste in a couple of movies and has been involved in social causes, including afforestation.
He is survived by his wife Arulselvi, and two children. In 2015, he had lost his son Prasanna Kumar to dengue.
He was a Tamil Nadu government-appointed ambassador along with actress Jyothika against the use of plastic.
Vivekh, who was known for his comedic roles in Tamil cinema, was last seen in Dharala Prabhu, which was a remake of the Bollywood film, Vicky Donor. He was also part of director Shankar’s upcoming film Indian 2, which stars Kamal Haasan in the lead role.