Jayaram Jayalalithaa, an iconic woman leader and the chief minister of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, passed away on December 5th, 2016 at the age of 68. Jayalalithaa was born in the small town of Mysore, Karnataka on February 24 1948. She was the daughter of actress Jayaram and lawyer Jayaram. She had a successful career as an actress in Indian cinema and acted in more than 100 movies in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, earning her the nickname of the 'Queen of Tamil Cinema'. She later entered politics in 1982 when she was elected as a Member of Parliament from the state of Tamil Nadu, representing the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). In the 1991 Tamil Nadu state elections, Jayalalithaa was elected Chief Minister for the first time, becoming the first woman in Tamil Nadu's history to hold the office. She served as the Chief Minister of the state for four times, leading an administration marked by several welfare initiatives. She devoted her life to the people of Tamil Nadu and her untimely death is mourned by millions of her supporters as a great loss. Jayalalithaa's undeniable legacy to the people of Tamil Nadu will continue to be remembered for a long time.