Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam dies at 74 in Chennai

Chennai: Veteran Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam died on Friday at 1:04 pm at the age of 74. He was admitted to MGM Healthcare Hospital in Chennai since August 5 after testing positive for COVID-19.

His condition became critical on August 14 and was on life support measures for severe pneumonia. He was monitored by a multidisciplinary team in the critical care unit of the hospital.

He had been tested negative for COVID-19 on September 4.

"In further setback this morning., despite maximal life support measures and the best efforts of the clinical team, his condition deteriorated further and he suffered cardio-respiratory arrest. With profound grief, we regret to inform that he has passed away on September 25 at 13:04 hours," said the hospital in its statement on Friday.

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A couple of days back, the singer's son SP Charan said that SPB continued 'steady progress' to get better and was eager to leave the hospital.

On Thursday the hospital put out the statement saying his health condition is deteriorating. "Thiru SP Balasubrahmanyam who had been admitted on August 5, remains on ECMO and other life support measures. His condition in the last 24 hours has deteriorated further warranting maximal life support and he is extremely critical. The team of experts are closely monitoring his health condition,” said, the hospital on Thursday.

The legendary singer has sung more than 40,000 songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi in a career spanning over 50 years.

After his demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote said "With the unfortunate demise of Shri SP Balasubrahmanyam, our cultural world is a lot poorer. A household name across India, his melodious voice and music enthralled audiences for decades. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti."

SP Balasubrahmanyam has won six National Awards. He worked extensively with Ilaiyaraaja, A R Rahman and other composers.

President of India, Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted, "In the passing of music legend SP Balasubrahmanyam Indian music has lost one of its most melodious voices. Called ‘Paadum Nila' or ‘Singing Moon’ by his countless fans, he was honoured with Padma Bhushan and many National Awards. Condolences to his family, friends and admirers."

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