M.G.C. Leelavathi, niece of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, who donated one of her kidneys to him in 1984, died here on Thursday.
She was the daughter of MGR’s elder brother M.G. Chakrapani. She was 72, and is survived by two daughters. One of her brothers, M.G.C. Sukumar, has acted in a few films.
“She was not well and was admitted to hospital. She recovered and returned home, but died on Thursday night,” said M.G. Rajendran, her brother.
When MGR, following renal failure, was battling for life at the Brooklyn hospital in the U.S. in 1984, Leelavathi and Mr. Rajendran were chosen for donating the kidney. She was finally chosen to be the donor, as her kidney suited MGR the best.
Leelavathi was living in Chelakkara in Kerala, and her husband, Ravindranathan, was a doctor there. When MGR was seriously ill and shifted to the U.S. for treatment, she rushed to Chennai and agreed to donate one of her kidneys. Thereafter, she settled in Chennai in 1989.
“She and her family extended support to the BJP, when my son, M.C.R. Praveen, joined the party. We also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” recalled Mr. Rajendran. It happened in 2017, when MGR’s birth centenary was celebrated.
AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam, co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami, late AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa’s aide V.K. Sasikala and AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran condoled the death of Leelavathi. In their joint message, Mr. Paneerselvam and Mr. Palaniswami said they were deeply saddened by her death and recalled her deed of donating one of her kidneys to MGR.
Senior AIADMK leaders D. Jayakumar, B. Valarmathi, J.C.D. Prabhakar, K.P. Kandan and others paid homage to Leelavathi’s mortal remains at Perungudi.
