Last rites of George Fernandes to take place on Wednesday; ex-defence minister had been suffering from Alzheimer's

New Delhi: The last rites of former defence minister George Fernandes, who passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 88, will be performed on Wednesday, said social activist and former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitly. Jaitly is currently at Fernandes’ residence. [caption id=“attachment_5982751” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of former defence minister George Fernandes. PTI[/caption] “We are waiting for his son, who lives in the US. His last rites will be performed tomorrow. His body will be embalmed and kept at his residence,” she told mediapersons. Saket Max Hospital got a call from Fernandez’s residence on Tuesday morning. A team of doctors from the hospital was rushed to his place. However, till the time doctors reached his place, Fernandes was already dead. Fernandes had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for a long time and was down with swine flu for the last few days as well. He was the Defence Minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government when the Kargil War broke out between India and Pakistan, and India conducted its nuclear tests at Pokhran. First elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967, Fernandes served several times as a Union Cabinet Minister, holding very important portfolios such as defence, railways and communications at the Centre.