Bollywood singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, known as ‘KK’, dies after falling ill during concert in Kolkata at age 53
- Born in Delhi, the versatile singer recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali, among other languages
- His passing prompted a flood of tributes from fans including from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
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Indian singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, better known as KK, died on Tuesday night after falling ill in the middle of a concert, local media reported.
Kunnath was performing at a crowded indoor stadium in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata when he complained of uneasiness.
He was rushed to the hospital from his hotel around 10:30pm, where doctors pronounced him dead.
His death prompted a flood of tributes.
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“His songs reflected a wide range of emotions [and] struck a chord with people of all age groups,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
“We will always remember him through his songs. Condolences to his family and fans,” Modi wrote.
Born in Delhi, the versatile singer recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali, among other languages.
KK’s hits from the 2000s included Dola Re Dola from the movie Devdas and Khuda Jaane from Bachna Ae Haseeno. As a playback singer, his songs were dubbed over films, with the actors lip-synching along.
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Fans took to KK’s Instagram page to pay their respects, where a photo of KK singing in front of a roaring crowd posted earlier in the day was accompanied with the caption “Pulsating gig tonight at Nazrul Mancha … Love you all.”
“Rest in peace legend, you will be always in our heart,” wrote one user.
“You’re gone too soon!!!!!!” commented another.
One of the Hindi songs that he sang at his last concert included Pal that has the lyrics “whether we live or not, we will remember this moment.”
The Indian film industry has lost a string of luminaries in recent years, including superstar singer Lata Mangeshkar at 92 in February and veteran actor Dilip Kumar in 2021 at 98.
The year before India lost much-loved singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam as well as actors Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput.
Additional reporting by Reuters
