Overview
- The National Award‑winning Malayalam actor died late on Saturday while being treated at a private hospital in Kochi after a sudden cardiac arrest, hospital bulletins and multiple news outlets confirmed.
- Doctors had placed him on ventilator support and treated him for pneumonia, sepsis and multi‑organ dysfunction while listing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary artery disease among his conditions.
- The Kerala government confirmed the death, kept his mortal remains at Paravur Town Hall for public homage, agreed to meet funeral costs and accorded police and state honours at his cremation in North Paravur.
- Salim Kumar built a three‑decade career of more than 300 films that moved from mimicry and broad comedy to acclaimed dramatic work, winning the National Film Award for Best Actor in 2010 for Adaminte Makan Abu.
- He had a long history of liver illness and a prior transplant, a medical background that framed public tributes from film figures and political leaders and prompted renewed public attention to the health risks faced by ageing performers; some reports differ on his exact age at death (56 or 57).