Top political leaders in Tamil Nadu expressed their deepest condolences on the death of actor Vivek. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Leader of Opposition MK Stalin were among the politicians who expressed grief and condolences at his death. In a statement, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that Vivek’s death is a huge loss to the Tamil film industry, his fans and social workers. “Nobody can replace him. His acting and his social work will continue to live on and occupy an irreplaceable spot in the hearts of the Tamil people,” he said.

DMK Chief and Leader of the Opposition Stalin, in a statement, said that the news about the actor’s demise comes as a shock. “A multi-talented person, Vivek created awareness among the people through his comedy and acting. He had a special affection towards Kalaignar. He was also very active in social initiatives like tree-planting. Why did nature snatch a person like Vivek, who still had the potential to do more, so early?” he said, offering DMK’s condolences to his family and fans.

Vivek passed away in a Chennai hospital in the early hours of Saturday. He was hospitalised on Friday after he fell unconscious at his Saligramam residence. The hospital said that the actor suffered from 100% blockage in LAD and the doctors had performed Emergency Coronary Angiogram followed by angioplasty. He was also placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and the doctors told the media on Friday that the actor will be in critical care for the next 24 hours.

Messages of disbelief, sorrow and anguish came from various quarters including actors, musicians and fans over his death. Several people remembered Vivek’s comedy scenes and how it had made them smile over the years. People also reminisced about his contributions towards creating social awareness on sensitive topics like family planning, idol worship, superstitions etc.