SP Balasubrahmanyam departs for his heavenly abode

Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, 2020 has claimed a lot of lives from us and many talents have died with it too. 25th September 2020 saw another huge loss in the music community with the passing of music legend, SP Balasubrahmanyam. The 74-year Tamil playback singer, in a tragic incident, lost his life to cardiorespiratory arrest. MGM Healthcare in Chennai notified the passing of the legend and mourned the facts that despite providing maximum life support measures, he left us. He was submitted to MGM Healthcare on 5th August where he was tested positive for COVID-19. On 5th September he tested negative of the virus but stayed at the hospital due to other ailments.

He had posted a video on Facebook confirming chest congestion, fever and cold. A couple of weeks later, on 14th August his condition deteriorated and he was put on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation support and a heart-lung assistance machine. His health further worsened and on 25th September, 1:04 pm, India lost another gem. The veteran’s remains will be

The entire nation was submerged in sadness for the early loss of the singer that left behind his legacy of more than 42,000 songs in over16 languages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, 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.

Such was his reach to every heart that common people, as well as people of the acclaimed industry, had arranged mass prayers to seek speedy recovery of the artist while he was in the hospital fighting for his life. Superstar Rajinikanth to music maestro AR Rahman, everyone expressed their condolences. Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle too mourned the loss of one the legends of their world.

His experimental art which has original roots made him a singer who was not only famous in the south but was equally if not more loved by every Indian. He inspired an entire generation and will continue to do so with his magic that he left behind in his songs. Bengali celebrity and singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo said: “I had first listened to his music when I studied in class 11 and my love for his mellifluous voice which added a new life to lyrics only grew in subsequent years.”

On 26th September, his mortal remains were put to rest in his farmhouse near Chennai.

Kamal Haasan and SP Balasubrahmanyam, has been a national favourite duo for the audience and naturally, loss of SBP has affected Kamal Haasan adversely. “When the bond gets really close, you actually forget the first meeting. He is part of my life. I had heard him first before seeing him. He had been part of my romance, first love, melancholy,” said Kamal Haasan in a virtual press conference later the same day.

While he predominantly worked for Telegu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films, he has altogether worked with 16 languages. This legendary playback singer, music director, as well as dubbing artist, had won 6 National Film Fare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer for his work in four languages, Tamil, Telegu, Kannada and Hindi. He also won the Filmfare Award and six Filmfare Awards South. He also holds the recond of rendering the most number of songs in one day by a singer.

His talent and versatility made him someone we considered close to home and his demise has left a huge gaping hole in our lives.

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