Vivek was in the news on Thursday for his efforts to remove the fear of vaccination among the public.

Tamil actor, comedian and Padma Shri recipient Vivek died in the wee hours of Saturday morning at a Chennai hospital, as per reports. He was 59. The actor, who has done over 200 films, breathed his last following a cardiac arrest at 4.35 am, as per News MInute report. It was reported that Vivek was admitted to the intensive care unit of SIMS hospital in Vadapalani after he suffered from a heart attack on Friday. He reportedly underwent an angioplasty and stenting procedure for a complete block in a critical blood vessel of the heart.

However, he passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning. 

According to doctors, Vivek was brought into the hospital at 11 am on Friday by his family, after he complained of chest pain and fainted while at his residence. They added that the 59-year old had suffered a severe heart attack, owing to a 100% block in the left coronary artery. It is to be mentioned that it was on Thursday that Vivek received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccination at Omandurar government hospital. However, the hospital as well as Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said at a press meet that the COVID-19 vaccine was unlikely to be the cause of the cardiac arrest.

Vivek was in the news on Thursday for his efforts to remove the fear of vaccination among the public. Instead of going to a private hospital, he chose to get vaccinated at a government hospital to spread awareness.

He told media persons after taking the first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine, “The government hospitals provide healthcare services to the majority of poor people. Many have doubts about vaccination and its side effects. There are also several rumours doing the rounds. I want to put an end to all the rumours. I want to show people that there is no danger in getting vaccinated.” 

He added, “On the contrary, it will protect us. And it is not like this vaccination will completely prevent us from getting Covid-19 infection. After the vaccination, even if we catch the virus, there won’t be death. So after vaccination, we should still follow the safety guidelines.”

Vivek’s body of work includes comedy in films like Kushi, Minnale, Alaipayuthey, Mugavaree, Dum Dum Dum, Sivaji and many others.

By FOS-SA