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Velupillai Prabhakaran Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 16, 2026 • 4 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth26 November 1954

Age54 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceValvettithurai, Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)

ProfessionRebel leader

NationalityCeylonese (1954-1972); Sri Lankan (1972-2009)

Marital statusMarried

SpouseMathivathani Erambu

FamilyThree children (two sons, one daughter); parents Veerasamy Thiruvengdam Velupillai and Vallipuram Parvathy

Velupillai Prabhakaran Biography

Velupillai Prabhakaran (born 26 November 1954 in Valvettithurai, Jaffna) was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Over a

Early life and background

Velupillai Prabhakaran was born on 26 November 1954 in Valvettithurai, in what was then the Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He was the youngest child in a Hindu Tamil family that traced local roots in the Jaffna district; his family had historical ties to the Sivan temple in Valvettithurai. Prabhakaran attended local schools including Government College, Batticaloa and Chidampara College in Valvettithurai but left formal education early as he became involved in underground political activity.

As a young student he took part in anti-government demonstrations and was influenced by local teachers and activists who argued for a more militant response to what they described as discriminatory policies. By his late teens and early twenties he had joined several youth and student groups that campaigned for Tamil rights and, in 1969, became involved with a militant group active in the northern regions.

Career

On 22 May 1972 Prabhakaran and several associates founded the Tamil New Tigers (TNT). The group carried out direct actions and, over the following years, escalated to assassinations and bombings. In 1975 the organisation was restructured and, on 5 May 1976, Prabhakaran renamed it the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Under his direction the LTTE developed into a disciplined armed movement that conducted guerrilla operations, expropriations, and targeted killings against political and security figures in Sri Lanka.

Prabhakaran built the LTTE into a multi-branch organisation. He established a naval component known as the Sea Tigers in 1984 to protect maritime supply routes and support seaborne operations. In 1987 he formed the Black Tigers, a unit used for suicide missions. The LTTE also expanded recruitment to include women and younger fighters and sought external training and materiel to strengthen its capabilities.

The LTTE rose to national prominence in the early 1980s, notably after an ambush in July 1983 that killed members of an army patrol and preceded widespread communal violence and an intensification of conflict across Sri Lanka. During the late 1980s Prabhakaran and senior LTTE personnel are reported to have received military training abroad, and the group fought Indian peacekeeping forces in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990.

Prabhakaran remained the movement’s leader through decades of armed struggle. His command structure oversaw political, military, and maritime wings and carried out high-profile operations that shaped the course of the Sri Lankan conflict.

Public profile

Prabhakaran was a polarising figure. Within sections of the Tamil community he was venerated with honorifics and nicknames, while governments and many outside observers characterised him as a militant commander responsible for politically motivated killings. He was known by several sobriquets and was widely recognised as the LTTE’s founder and chief strategist.

Personal life

Prabhakaran married Mathivathani Erambu on 1 October 1984. The couple had three children: two sons and a daughter. His elder son, Charles Anthony, served in the LTTE’s information and technology branch. Family members included his father Veerasamy Thiruvengdam Velupillai, who worked as a district lands officer, and his mother Vallipuram Parvathy. He had siblings including a brother, Manoharan Velupillai, and two sisters.

Prabhakaran was described as an atheist. He preferred non-vegetarian food and had interests such as reading and cooking. Physical descriptions in public sources list him at about 170 cm tall with dark brown eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.

Death and legacy

In May 2009 Prabhakaran was killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war. Sources report his death occurred in mid-May 2009 in the Nandikadal area of Mullaitivu District during combat with Sri Lankan security forces. His death marked the end of a decades-long armed campaign led by the LTTE and closed a chapter of intense and contested violence that affected large numbers of civilians and combatants.

Latest updates

By mid-2009 the Sri Lankan government reported that Prabhakaran, his wife, and several family members had died during the final military offensive. The LTTE ceased to function as an organised fighting force after those events, which concluded a conflict that had lasted for roughly a quarter of a century.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Velupillai Prabhakaran, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Career Highlights

  1. Founded the Tamil New Tigers in 1972 and renamed it the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1976
  2. Established the Sea Tigers (maritime wing) in 1984 and the Black Tigers (suicide unit) in 1987
  3. Led LTTE actions that shaped the course of the Sri Lankan civil war from the 1970s until 2009
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Velupillai Prabhakaran born?

Velupillai Prabhakaran was born on 26 November 1954.

What is Velupillai Prabhakaran known for?

Velupillai Prabhakaran is known for rebel leader.

What is Velupillai Prabhakaran’s marital status?

Velupillai Prabhakaran's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Velupillai Prabhakaran married to?

Velupillai Prabhakaran is publicly listed as married to Mathivathani Erambu.