Chennai: Renowned comedian ‘Vadivel Balaji’, an actor who rose to fame for his roles in entertaining television shows, breathed his last in a government hospital in Chennai on Thursday. He had been hospitalized about two weeks ago after suffering a heart attack. He was 45 years old, survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
Balaji was initially admitted to a private hospital in the city after a heart attack and was subsequently transferred to another private hospital after his condition worsened and led to paralysis. Unable to pay for this treatment, his family is said to have had to transfer him to a public hospital in the city. Some reports indicate that his family faced a serious financial crisis during the closure.
Besides acting in some Tamil movies, he was fondly known for his perfect imitation of the veteran comedian Vadivelu, who is a household name in Tamil Nadu. That is why he earned that prefix to his name.
Several actors from the Tamil film fraternity and fans shared their grief after learning of his passing. They shared their fond memories of his performances and the images they had clicked on with him.
Deeply saddened and disturbed by the sudden disappearance of a great talent, Vadivel Balaji. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to his family.
– Dhanush (@dhanushkraja) September 10, 2020
#RIPVadivelBalaji brother pic.twitter.com/mvcChfQAKN
– Actor Soori (@sooriofficial) September 10, 2020
#RIPVadivelBalaji annan. https://t.co/9kvgMoncEk
– Sathish (@actorsathish) September 10, 2020
Talented comedian #VadivelBalaji
Rest in peace brother pic.twitter.com/inLk0mjP8I– Master Mahendran (@Actor_Mahendran) September 10, 2020
Shocking!
RIP balaji anna. We will miss you.#Vadivelbalaji https://t.co/cJSxt0dnUV– MANIMEGALAI (@iamManimegalai) September 10, 2020
Dhanush, Satish, and Soori were among the actors who tweeted about Balaji’s disappearance. Vijay TV, the channel on which he appeared most frequently, also expressed grief over his passing.
May his soul rest in peace!
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