Versatile actor Salim Kumar passed away at the age of 57

National award-winning actor-turned-writer-director and acclaimed mime artist Salim Kumar died on June 6 at 10.43 pm of cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment at a private hospital here. He was 57.

He was taken to the hospital around 2:50 a.m. with fever and shortness of breath and was immediately put on a ventilator. He had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis, coronary artery disease and had also undergone a liver transplant.

“He was started on ventilator support, antibiotics, dialysis and other life-saving measures. He went into cardiac arrest during his hospital stay and could not be revived despite maximum possible resuscitation measures,” said a medical bulletin issued by the hospital late last night.

People from all walks of life kept pouring into the hospital throughout the night as soon as his death was confirmed. His remains will be laid to rest for a public tribute in his hometown of North Paravur on Sunday, followed by a funeral in the evening.

He was born to Gangadharan and Kausalya at Chittattukara in North Paravur on 10 October 1969. His father, an atheist, named him simply Salim so as not to be identified with any religion. The suffix “Kumar” was later added at the insistence of his school authorities. He studied at Government LPS, Chittattukara and Government Boys High School, North Paravur before completing his undergraduate studies at SNM College, Malyankara. Salim Kumar enrolled for a bachelor’s degree at Maharaja’s College, Kochi due to his talent for mimicry and was driven by the dream of entering the film industry.

Published – 07 Jun 2026 01:28 IST