Sports stars joined the nation in mourning the death of the veteran leader.
M Karunanidhi, five-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu, passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. The veteran of Dravidian politics was shifted to the hospital on July 28 from his Gopalapuram residence following a dip in his blood pressure and was under treatment in the Intensive Care Unit ever since.
Various sports stars joined the nation in mourning the death of the veteran leader and paying tribute to one of the most renowned figures in the political fraternity.
Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, who is from Tamil Nadu, tweeted, "It's sad to hear about the demise of Dr. M. karunanidhi, may his soul RIP and my condolences to his family and friends."
Chess legend Viswanathan Anand also paid tribute and shared an anecdote as to how was he was honoured by Karunanidhi after becoming the World champion.
"Saddened to hear the passing of Respected M. Karunanidhi. One of the greats of Tamil politics. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times in my career. When I first became World Champion, he felicitated me & presented me with a chess set that I cherish," he tweeted.
"A patron of sport and achievement. I have always admired his speeches and his eloquence. My deepest condolences to his family."
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag tweeted, "Condolences to the family and supporters of #Karunanidhi ji. May everyone maintain peace in Tamil Nadu".
Other sports personalities also expressed their sorrow and conveyed their condolences.
Karunanidhi died in Chennai on Tuesday after prolonged illness, the city hospital where the leader was admitted, said. The 94-year old leader breathed his last at 6.10 pm.
"With deep anguish we announce the demise of our beloved Kalaignar M Karunanidhi on 07.08.2018 at 6.10 pm. Despite the best possible efforts by our team of doctors and nurses to resuscitate him, he failed to respond."
"We profoundly mourn the loss of one of the tallest leaders of India and we share the grief of family members and fellow Tamilians worldwide," a press release by Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Executive Director of Kauvery Hospital, said.
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