‘Our cultural world is a lot poorer’: PM Modi pays tribute to S P Balasubrahmanyam

"In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti," Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday extended his condolences on the death of Singer-actor SP Balasubrahmanyam, saying that with his demise “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,” the prime minister said in a tweet.

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.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 25, 2020

“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,” the prime minister said in a tweet.

Balasubrahmanyam, who held sway over millions of fans with his golden voice for over five decades, died at a Chennai hospital where he was being treated for Covid since last month.

SP Balasubrahmanyam was diagnosed with Covid-19 in August. (Photo: SP Balasubrahmanyam/Facebook)

The 74-year-old veteran singer had tested positive for Covid-19 in the first week of August. He was later shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of MGM Healthcare after his condition deteriorated. He was on a ventilator and ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) support till his last breath.

SP Charan, Balasubrahmanyam’s son, who shared the news of the legend’s demise told reporters that he passed away at 1:04 pm. “SPB belongs to everyone. He will live on in his songs,” he said.

Revered by fans across age groups for his unparalleled contribution to Indian music, Balasubrahmanyam held the Guinness World record for singing over 40,000 songs.

Besides singing in movies across 16 languages including Tamil, Telugu Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi, SP Balasubrahmanyam also played significant roles in many films. His major movies include Keladi Kanmani (1990), Thiruda Thiruda (1993), Kadhalan (1994), Ullaasam (1996) and others.

In a career spanning over five decades, SPB won six National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer. He was also honoured by the Government of India with Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2011.

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