Chennai: Lakhs of common people, political leaders and movie stars have been paying their last respects to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday who died on Monday night following a cardiac arrest.

The 68-year-old charismatic leader, who was in Apollo Hospitals since September 22, died here at 11.30 p.m. on Monday. Jayalalithaa’s body was taken to her residence at Poes Garden on Tuesday.

After performance of the last ceremonial rites as per tradition, her tricolour draped body was shifted to Rajaji Hall here for people to pay their last respects to the departed leader. Jayalalithaa’s close confidant Sasikala Natarajan was standing near her body.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Tuesday to pay his last respects to the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. Modi will lay a floral wreath on Jayalalithaa’s body at Rajaji Hall, where a mass of people are paying their last respects to the AIADMK leader.

AIADMK MLAs and MPs as well as other party officials were at Rajaji Hall.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, state Congress party President S. Thirunavukarasar, movie star Prabhu, Bharatiya Janata Party leader H. Raja and others paid homage to Jayalalithaa.

Senior BJP leaders including Former Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani and party President Amit Shah on Tuesday condloled the death of Jayalalithaa.

President Pranab Mukherjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Odisha Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi are also expected to visit Chennai to pay their last respects to the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, official sources said.