Rajinikanth mourns death of close friend Rajesh: ‘Causes me great heartache'
Tamil star Rajinikanth is deeply saddened by the sudden death of his close friend, veteran actor Rajesh, aka Rajesh Williams, on Thursday. He penned a note on X (formerly Twitter), writing about how the news has left him heartbroken. (Also Read: Veteran actor Rajesh dies in Chennai at 75, Radhika Sarathkumar sends condolences)
Rajinikanth sent condolences to Rajesh's family on Thursday and wrote of how much he'll miss his friend on X. He wrote in Tamil, 'The news of the untimely death of my close friend, actor Rajesh, shocked me and caused me great heartache. A wonderful man, may his soul rest in peace. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.' Fans in the comments remembered Rajesh's fondness for Rajinikanth, posting pictures of when they spent time together. Many comments also expressed shock at the sudden death.
On Thursday morning, Rajesh complained of low blood pressure and died on the way to the hospital. His nephew confirmed the same to DT Next. He is survived by daughter Divya and son Deepak. His wife, Joan Sylvia Vanathirayar, died in 2012. Rajesh's body will be brought back to his residence in Ramapuram, Chennai. His funeral will take place after his daughter's return from the US.
Rajesh was a high school teacher before he ventured into acting, playing lead and supporting roles in hundreds of Tamil and Malayalam films and TV shows. He also starred in K Balachander's Achamillai Achamillai, after being introduced by him in Achamillai Achamillai, in a small role. Some of Rajesh's popular films include Thanneer Thanneer, Andha 7 Naatkal and Payanangal Mudivadhillai and TV shows like Alagai, Roja and Poove Unakkaga. He was most recently seen in Sriram Raghavan's Merry Christmas with Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif.
Rajesh also ventured into hotels and real estate business, he is considered one of the top builders in Chennai.
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