- In this Indian name, the name Muthuvel is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Karunanidhi.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018) was an Indian politician. He has served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five different times. He is the former president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N. Annadurai, in 1969.
Karunanidhi was born in Thirukuvalai, Tiruvarur, British India. He was an atheist. Karunanidhi died in Chennai at a hospital from multiple organ failure on 7 August 2018, aged 94.