The health status of singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam continues to remain critical, according to a medical bulletin issued by MGM Healthcare. On Thursday, members of the film fraternity and fans came together to pray for his health and wish him a speedy recovery.
The singer was hospitalised earlier this month after testing positive for COVID-19. The bulletin said he continued to remain critical, and was on ventilator and ECMO support in the ICU. The hospital added that a multidisciplinary team of clinicians was actively collaborating with national and international experts, and continuing to closely monitor his vital parameters.
In a video message on Thursday, the singer’s son, S.P. Charan, said his condition remained the same.
Director Bharathiraaja, actor Rajinikanth and several members of the Tamil film fraternity had requested fans and well-wishers to play songs of Mr. Balasubrahmanyam at 6 p.m. on Thursday and participate in a mass prayer from wherever they are residing. Celebrities as well as fans took to social media and posted their wishes for his recovery and shared memorable songs sung by him.
Actors, directors and musicians from the Tamil film industry came together virtually to speak about the singer and pray for his health. Directors K.S. Ravikumar and S.A. Chandrashekar, producer Kailaipuli S. Thanu, actors Sarath Kumar, Partheipan, Manobala, Sivakumar, Prabhu, Sathyaraj, Saroja Devi and Radikaa Sarathkumar, music composer Gangai Amaran and singer Chitra were among those who participated in the virtual prayer meeting.
“He once recorded 19 tamil songs in a single day,” recalled Mr. Sivakumar. Mr. Sathyaraj and Mr. Bharathiraaja spoke about their association with him in the film industry and Mr. Parthiepan said that people were ready to set aside their worries about the pandemic and take time out to pray for Mr. Balasubrahmanyam because of his good nature.
Prathap C. Reddy, chairman and founder, Apollo Hospitals, said he hoped for the singer’s speedy recovery and spoke about how he had touched several lives with the power of music.