Salim Kumar | 1969-2006

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National Award-winning actor-turned-writer-director and acclaimed mimicry artiste Salim Kumar passed away due to cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kerala on June 6, 2026.

Widely regarded as one of the most known faces from Malayalam cinema, Kumar was rushed to the hospital with fever and shortness of breath, and was immediately placed on ventilator support. People from all walks of life kept pouring into the hospital through the night as soon as his demise was confirmed. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan who remembered Salim Kumar as his own “brother” said that he was at short of words to mourn the actor, who was like a member of his own family.

Salim Kumar — the actor who later ventured into writing and directing — has had a roller-coaster career. Few actors would have endured the ignominy of being unceremoniously dropped from a film for their supposed lack of acting prowess early in their career, only to later win both the National Film Award and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in the same year, a little over a decade later.

Salim Kumar’s off-screen persona and easy-going approach to life probably made him a favourite with meme creators. He often joked that he had been “killed” more than 15 times citing fake news reports about his demise. That summed up Salim Kumar— a man who could laugh even about his own rumoured death.

Here’s a collection of articles from The Hindu, recalling the actor’s life.