Unnikrishnan had tested positive for COVID-19 recently. He was receiving treatment for the same at the intense care unit of a private hospital. On Tuesday, he was sent home after his COVID-test came back negative. However, on Wednesday, his health deteriorated and he was taken back to the hospital, where he breathed his last.

Unnikrishnan made his acting debut with Desadanam 1996. However, he became a household name among the Malayalam film audience for his performance as a witty grandfather in Kalyanaraman (2002). He had also played a pivotal role in Kamal Haasan’s hit comedy-drama, Pammal K Sambandam (2002).

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan shared in a statement on Facebook, “Unnikrishnan Namboothiri was an actor who excelled in expressive acting. He was known to be a distinct personality in the field of cinema for his age-old interest and confidence for the same. A fellow leftist, he had closely associated with the CPI (M). His demise is a great loss to the artist fraternity. This is a personal loss for me as well. The gap left by his death in the cultural space, cannot be easily filled.”