Karunanidhi married three times. His first wife was Padmavathi , who died early. They had a son MK Muthu. Karunanidhi later married Dayalu Ammal with whom he had three sons, MK Alagiri, MK Stalin and MK Tamilarasu, and a daughter, M. K. Selvi. With his third wife, Rajathi Ammal, Karunanidhi had a daughter, Kanimozhi. Karunanidhi reportedly treated wives with respect and their children, as equals.
Karunanidhi's death comes barely 20 months after that of J Jayalalithaa, his long-time political foe and another bright star that faded from Tamil Nadu's political firmament on December 5, 2016.
The sharp-tongued, quick witted Karunanidhi was a five-time chief minister, who wielded considerable influence beyond his own state, in the corridors of power in New Delhi, for a long time, sewing up alliances with both the Congress and the BJP.
Hugely influenced by the rationalist and egalitarian ideology of E V Ramasamy 'Periyar' and DMK founder and the state's first chief minister C N Annadurai, Karunanidhi became one of the most enduring mascots of the Dravidian Movement, which aimed at seeking equal rights for the depressed sections and women, and was against Brahminism.
Karunanidhi became the chief minister for the first time in 1969 after the demise of Annadurai. He subsequently helmed the state as chief minister in 1971, 1989, 1996 and 2006.
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly 13 times, the last time as a 92-year-old in 2016.
Karunanidhi, who earned sobriquets of 'Thalaivar' (The Leader) and 'Kalaignar' (The Artist) from his ardent followers, became DMK president in 1969 and held the position till his death.