Veteran DMK leader K Anbhazhagan passed away here on Saturday following a brief illness, the party said.
Anbhazhagan (98), the seniormost DMK leader and a close friend of late party patriarch M Karunanidhi, was not keeping well for some time due to age-related ailments and was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals on February 24 after his health conditions deteriorated, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M K Stalin said.
A nine-time MLA, Anbhazhagan was the party's general secretary for 43 years. He had been staying away from active politics for some time due to his illness.
In a statement, Stalin said Anbhazhagan passed away at 1 am and party flags would fly at half mast for seven days.
All the DMK programmes were postponed for a week, he added.
Known as "Perasiriyar" (professor) in the DMK circles, Anbhazhagan had served as the Tamil Nadu finance minister and minister of public welfare.
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Stalin had visited the ailing DMK leader when he was admitted to the hospital.
After his demise, Anbhazhagan's was taken to his residence in the city.