PTI
Chennai
Veteran journalist, former Rajya Sabha Member, political commentator and satirist Cho Ramaswamy passed away early Thursday morning in a private hospital here due to age-related problems.
Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister O Paneerselvam, DMK leader M K Stalin and superstar Rajnikanth were among those who paid floral tributes to Cho at his residence.
The 82-year-old, who was admitted to Apollo Hospitals last week for respiratory problems, is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
In his tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as a multidimensional personality, towering intellectual and a great nationalist.
“Cho Ramaswamy was insightful, frank & brilliant. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family & countless readers of Thuglak,” Modi said.
“Above all, Cho Ramaswamy was a dear friend. I have been to his annual readers meeting, which were an unprecedented editor reader interface,” he said.
A wreath was laid on the mortal remains of Cho on behalf of Modi, the Tamil Nadu government said in a release.
The wreath was laid by State Protocol Officer Shiv Das Meena, it said.
A stream of admirers, literary personalites and those from the cinema and theatre world also paid tributes to Cho at his residence.
A lawyer by profession, Cho was a popular name in theatre, cinema and journalism. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1999 to 2005.
Condoling his death, Governor Rao said he was a multi-faceted personality.
“I am deeply shocked and grieved to hear about the sad demise of Cho Ramaswamy, an actor, editor, lawyer and writer. He was a multifaceted personality, a bold, veteran journalist and a political critic who never hesitated to express his views unequivocally,” he said in a Raj Bhavan statement.
The field of journalism “has lost a doyen and a great personality,” he said.
Panneerselvam, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues C Srinivasan, Edappadi K Palaniswamy, P Thangamani and S P Velumani, paid homage to Ramaswamy.
DMK President M Karunanidhi, in a statement, said despite political differences, Ramaswamy had great love and affection for him.
He was a friend and a political critic who could convey his message with humour, he said.
Rajinikanth described Ramaswamy as a “close friend” and recalled they had been friends since 1978.
“Whenever I was in Chennai, I used to visit him at least once a week,” he told reporters after paying homage to Cho.
“His death is not an ordinary loss,” he added.
