Kalam was born to a Tamil Muslim family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. His father Jainulabdeen Marakayar was a boat owner and imam of a local mosque, his mother Ashiamma was a housewife.

Kalam was noted for his integrity and his simple lifestyle. He never owned a television, and was in the habit of rising at 6:30 or 7 a.m. and sleeping by 2 a.m.

His few personal possessions included his books, his veena, some articles of clothing, a CD player and a laptop at his death, he left no will, and his possessions went to his eldest brother, who survived him.

The Government of India honoured him with various awards, the Padma Bhushan in 1981, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990. The Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour In 1997.

He was the project director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in near-earth orbit in July 1980.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, Kalam made an effort to develop the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and SLV-III projects, both of which proved to be successful.

Kalam was invited by Raja Ramanna to witness the country's first nuclear test Smiling Buddha as the representative of TBRL, even though he had not participated in its development.

Kalam played a major part in developing many missiles including Agni, an intermediate range ballistic missile and Prithvi, the tactical surface-to-surface missile.

In 1970s, Kalam also directed two projects, Project Devil and Project Valiant, which sought to develop ballistic missiles from the technology of the successful SLV programme.

The Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted during this period in which he played an intensive political and technological role. In 1998, along with cardiologist Soma Raju, Kalam developed a low cost coronary stent, named the "Kalam-Raju Stent".

Kalam served as the 11th president of India, succeeding K. R. Narayanan. His term lasted from 25 July 2002, to 25 July 2007. He was the first scientist and the first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan.

During his term as president, he was affectionately known as the People's President, saying that signing the Office of Profit Bill was the toughest decision he had taken during his tenure.

At the end of his term, on 20 June 2007, Kalam expressed his willingness to consider a second term in office provided there was certainty about his victory in the 2007 presidential election.

However, two days later, he decided not to contest the Presidential election again stating that he wanted to avoid involving Rashtrapati Bhavan from any political processes.

On 27 July 2015, Kalam travelled to Shillong to deliver a lecture on "Creating a Livable Planet Earth" at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong. At around 6:35 p.m. IST, only five minutes into his lecture, he collapsed.

He was rushed to the nearby Bethany Hospital in a critical condition, upon arrival, he lacked a pulse or any other signs of life. Despite being placed in the intensive care unit, Kalam was confirmed dead of a sudden cardiac arrest at 7:45 p.m. IST.

India reacted to Kalam's death with an outpouring of grief numerous tributes were paid to the former president across the nation and on social media. The Government of India declared a seven-day state mourning period as a mark of respect.

The Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam National Memorial was built in memory of Kalam by the DRDO in Pei Karumbu, in the island town of Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2017.

The memorial is full of acrylic paintings and hundreds of portraits depicting the life of the mass leader. There is a statue of Kalam in the entrance showing him playing the Veena. There are two other smaller statues of the leader in sitting and standing posture.