J Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and one of India’s most powerful and popular politicians, died on Monday in a Chennai hospital, nearly three months after she was admitted there. She was 68.
Ms Jayalalithaa had a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening and was rushed back to the Intensive Care Unit or ICU. Barely two weeks ago, after doctors and her party said she was fully recovered from a respiratory illness, she was moved from the critical care unit to a private room kitted out with emergency equipment.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha passes away. Jayalalithaa was a reluctant actor by her own admission. As a teenager, she aspired to become a lawyer.
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13 dec 2025
Before she became Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (revolutionary leader), Dr J Jayalalithaa was known as Kavarchi Kanni, a title she earned for her glamorous on-screen roles. With more than 120 films to her credit, she was the most successful leading lady of her time and has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and even English movies.
