New Delhi: Malayalam actor and former Lok Sabha member Innocent passed away on Sunday after being hospitalised earlier this month. The veteran actor was 75 years old.
The actor was reportedly on cardiopulmonary support yesterday, in which a patient's blood is mechanically pumped and oxygenated outside of the body.
"He was infected with Covid and had respiratory issues along with multiple organ failure resulting in heart failure," the hospital stated in a release.
The actor has spent the past two and a half weeks receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kochi for respiratory problems. He is a cancer survivor and was diagnosed with the fatal disease in 2012.
The public can pay their respects to Innocent's body on Monday from 8 am to 11 am at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kadavanthra, Kochi. Reportedly, the actor's body will thereafter be moved to Irinjalakkuda, where it will be kept at the town hall there from 1 pm until 3:30 pm, and then at his home.
In the evening, the funeral will take place in St. Thomas Cathedral in Irinjalakkuda at around 5 p.m.
Innocent, who was born in Inrinjalakuda in 1948, made his acting debut in the 1972 film 'Nrityashala', which starred Prem Nazir and Jayabharathi. He took on an array of comedic roles, as well as a few villain ones, over the course of a career that lasted more than four decades and 500 films. He starred in blockbuster films like 'Ramji Rao Speaking', 'Kilukkam', 'Azhakiya Ravanan', and 'Nadodikkattu'.
The actor was last seen in Prithviraj starrer 'Kaduva', which hit screens last year.
Prithviraj Sukumaran condoled the actor's death on Twitter and wrote,"End of an iconic chapter in cinema history! Rest in peace Legend."
Innocent served in the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019. He was an independent candidate backed by the Left who won the election in Kerala's Chalakkudy constituency.