Chennai , Sept 25 : Legendary playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away on Friday afternoon at the age of 74. The singer had been at MGM Healthcare in Chennai since August 5 after he tested positive for coronavirus.
The official statement from MGM Healthcare said that despite maximal life support measures, the singer died of a cardio-respiratory arrest. He passed away on September 25 at 1:04pm. He had tested negative for Covid-19 on September 5.
He had shown mild symptoms of Covid-19 initially, and despite being advised home quarantine, had chosen to be admitted to the hospital for the health of his family. The singer had posted a video on his official Facebook page at the time, stating that he had chest congestion for a few days, along with cold and fever.
About two weeks later, he was put on the ECMO support, a heart-lung assistance machine, after he had suffered a setback in his health.
The official statement from MGM Healthcare said that despite maximum life support, the singer died of a cardio-respiratory arrest. He had tested negative for Covid-19 on September 5.
In the beginning of September, his son SP Charan had informed of improvement in his father’s health, saying that the singer was fully awake, responsive and actively participating in physiotherapy.
In a health update last week, Charan had said that his father continues to be stable but is still on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and ventilator support.
In his five decade long career, SPB has been a stage performer, a playback singer credited with over 40000 songs, a dubbing artiste, an actor and a reality show judge.
However, he is most known for his mellifluous voice complemented with the music of maestros like Ilayaraaja and AR Rahman. In Bollywood, SPB has been the voice behind several hits, from Kamal Haasan starrer Ek Duje Ke Liye to Salman Khan’s hit films Maine Pyar Kia and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!
( With Agency inputs )
