Veteran Tamil director J Mahendran passed away on Tuesday morning. He was reportedly unwell since past few days and hence was hospitalized in the Apollo hospital, Chennai on Monday night. He was on the ventilator as his health deteriorated and he left for the heavenly abode at his residence on April 2. The last rites of the 79-year-old filmmaker are to be performed in the town at 5.00 pm on Tuesday. He was last seen in Vijay Sethupathi starrer Seethakaathi and Rajinikanth starrer Petta. Petta Crosses Rs 150 Crore Mark.

The filmmaker's death, who was very much popular amongst the fans, has left them in a state of shock. His admirers will get to pay last respects to him at his residence at 10 am today before his funeral at 5 pm.

Mahendran is known for his films like Mullum Malarum, Johnny and Nenjathai Killadhey in the South film industry. His son John Mahendran, who is also a director, tweeted the news of his father's sad demise, saying, "DIRECTOR MAHENDRAN PASSED AWAY THIS MORNING."

He was earlier quoted by Hindu saying, "I got an opportunity to criticise Tamil cinema in front of MGR. Later, he spotted me at a press meet, took me home and presented me with the volumes of Ponniyin Selvan. This was the starting point of my journey as a screenplay writer.” The filmmaker is also known to play a pivotal role in shaping the career of Rajinikanth through the film, Mullum Malarum.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 02, 2019 09:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).