The Tamil film industry is mourning the loss of some huge names this year. From actors and directors to singers and writers, we'll take a look at the K'wood personalities who passed away in 2016

J.Jayalalithaa
Undoubtedly, the biggest loss this year was actress turned politician - Amma's death The Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Selvi J.Jayalalithaa was unwell and hospitalised for a couple of months - She suddenly passed away due to a cardiac arrest! Not just the state but entire nation was mourning the loss of this iconic lady. Even the biggest names of the international media covered this news and an article on CNN called Jayalalithaa the 'goddess' of Indian politics.

Cho
Cho, who was a trusted advisor and close friend to Jayalalithaa died of heart attack a day after Jaya's death. He was an actor, journalist and a political satirist who started the Thuqlaq magazine. Many big names and personalities from the Kollywood film industry arrived to pay homage to him.

Na Muthukumar
One of the best lyricist that our industry had, Na Muthukumar passed away due to Jaundice in August this year. Many actors including Vijay. Sivakarthikeyan, Jayam Ravi, Nasser and Bhagiyaraj came to pay their last respects to Na. Muthukumar.

Panchu Arunachalam
Producer, script and screenplay writer Panchu Arunachalam died this year, at the age of 76. He was very popular for writing over 100 Tamil films & he was also responsible for launching music maestro Illayaraja in the film Annakilli.

Film News Anandan
‘Film News’ Anandan who was known as a ‘living encyclopaedia of Tamil movies' passed away in March 2016. He started his career as a freelance photographer with Film News, became a film historian and was also one of the most successful PR (public relations) personnel in Kollywood

Balamuralikrishna
Carnatic musician Balamuralikrishna was not keeping well for some time and he breathed his last on 22nd November 2016. The veteran had composed for several films in South Indian languages. He has received national awards and civilian honours like Padmashri and Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to music.

Apart from these, we also lost valuable actors like Kalabhavan Mani and Kalpana Ranjani in 2016.