Speaker of Kerala Legislative Assembly G. Karthikeyan, who was undergoing treatment in a Bengaluru hospital for Hepato Cellular Cancer (liver cancer), passed away on Saturday.
He was 66 and is survived by wife M.T. Sulekha, director, IGNOU, and two sons. The funeral will be held on Sunday evening.
His body was brought to Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday evening by a special flight. People thronged his official residence in the Assembly complex to pay their homage.
Mr. Karthikeyan had been ailing for some time and had been under treatment for liver cancer. He had also undergone treatment at the Mayo Clinic in the U.S..
In a statement, the hospital authorities said that Mr. Karthikeyan had been on advanced liver support system after his liver functions deteriorated. He condition deteriorated further due to multi-organ failure on Friday night. Despite best efforts of the medical team attending on him, his life could not be saved, it said. His death was officially announced by 10.35 a.m. on Saturday.
