Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister R Doraikkannu, who had tested positive for the coronavirus, died at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday, reported PTI. He was 72.

Doraikkannu was admitted to Chennai’s Kauvery Hospital on October 13, after he tested positive for the disease. On Monday, the hospital had said that he was being treated for severe Covid-19 pneumonia. A CT scan showed 90% lung involvement due to the infection. He was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO and ventilator.

He was elected as an MLA from Papanasam in Thanjavur district in 2006, 2011, and 2016. He also served as a Cabinet minister in 2016, under former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s term.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who had tested positive in August, paid tributes to the minister. “He was known for his simplicity, humbleness, straightforwardness, governance skills and commitment towards the welfare of farming community,” he said. “He handled Ministry of Agriculture with full dedication and engraved his strong mark.”