The chief minister of Tamil Nadu state
suffered a heart attack on Sunday night and died at 23:30 local time (18:00
GMT) on Monday, Chennai's Apollo Hospital said.
Thousands of her supporters had gathered
to pray for her recovery.
Extra police have been deployed in the
southern state amid fears of unrest among her supporters.
The former film star served as Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister four times. She had been receiving treatment for months.
Jayalalitha is revered by many but seen by
her critics as having created a cult of personality over the years.
There are fears her death could spark unrest
given the extreme devotion she inspires among her supporters, many of whom
refer to her as "Amma" (mother).
Earlier reports of her death, which were
swiftly withdrawn, prompted scuffles between police and her supporters outside
the private hospital.
Tributes began to pour in for Jayalalitha
as soon as her death was confirmed by Apollo, which had been treating her since
22 September.
Jayalalitha lived a dramatic life, both on
screen and off.
She appeared in more than 100 films before
turning her hand to politics in the early 1980s.
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