J Jailalitha. Chennai. India. May 22 2015. Politician, Actress. Chief Minister. Tamilnadu. India Editorial Image

Jayaram Jayalalithaa- 24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016, was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 1 January 1988 to 5 December 2016, she was the 5th and longest-serving general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a Dravidian party whose cadre revered her as their "Amma" (Mother) and "Puratchi Thalaivi" Revolutionary leader.Jayalalithaa rose to prominence as a leading film actress in the mid-1960s. Jayalalithaa was a prolific actor. She appeared in 140 films between 1961 and 1980, earning the sobriquet "Queen of Tamil Cinema.In 1991, Jayalalithaa became chief minister for the first time and Tamil Nadu's youngest. her council of ministers, whom she often shuffled around, were largely ceremonial in nature. The successful cradle-baby scheme, which enabled mothers to anonymously offer their newborns for adoption, emerged during this time. Despite an official salary of only a rupee a month, Jayalalithaa indulged in public displays of wealth, culminating in a lavish wedding for her foster son. on 7 September 1995. In the 1996 election, the AIADMK was nearly wiped out at the hustings Jayalalithaa herself lost her seat. The new Karunanidhi government filed several corruption cases against her, and she had to spend time in jail. Ultimately, in May 2015, her conviction was overturned, she took oath as new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in Chennai on May 23, 2015. Followers of Jayalalithaa often worshiped her as a divine being. She stimulated a cult following, and adoring supporters often termed her "Adi Parashakti" the eternal mighty goddess.On 22 September 2016, Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, as she was suffering from an infection and acute dehydration. On 4 December 2016, she was re-admitted to the intensive care unit after suffering a cardiac arrest around 16:45 on the evening. The hospital released a press statement stating that her condition was "very critical" and that she was on life support.On 5 December 2016, the hospital announced her death around 23:30 and she became the first female chief minister to die in office in India.