NEW DELHI: Senior journalist G Sekharan Nair (75) passed away at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram at around 11 am on Saturday. He was under treatment for more than two weeks due to heart disease. He has worked as Mathrubhumi's Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief, Thiruvananthapuram Press Club secretary and Journalist Union state secretary.

He has won three state awards for investigative journalism. R Ramachandran, who was a health minister, in K Karunakaran's cabinet had resigned after a series of controversies related to the health sector. In 1999, he was part of the media team that accompanied Prime Minister Vajpayee to attend the SAARC summit in Colombo. He was honoured by the Assembly for reporting the assembly session for 25 years. He is the author of the books Padmatheerthakkarayil, Mazha Kondu Mathram Mulakkatha Vithukal

His wife is Dr P Radhamani Amma. Children: Deepa Shekhar, Dilip Shekhar. In-laws: Dr MK Manu and Chinnu R Nair.