Singers, directors, producers and artists of Chhollywood have expressed grief over the demise of veteran playback singer and actor S P Balasubrahmanyam, who passed away at the age of 74, following coronavirus complications at a private hospital in Chennai on Friday.

Eminent Chhattisgarhi film actor and singer Padma Shri Anuj Sharma paying tributes to the veteran playback singer said,

“S P Balasubrahmanyam was known for his singing style. No one can fill his place in music industry. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members.” Eminent Chhattisgarh film producer and director Satish Jain said that S P Balasubrahmanyam was a talented singer of South India and he also sang in many languages and also several hit songs in Bollywood.

Secretary of Chhattisgarh Cine and Television Producers’ Association Manoj Verma said, “Today corona has done another injustice to the artistic world by grabbing the life of S P B as Balasubrahmanyam was popularly known. He was one of the greatest playback singers known for his melodious singing. His style and composure was rare and will always be remembered, my heartfelt condolence on his sad demise and may his soul rest in peace.”

Balasubrahmanyam sang over 40,000 songs in a career spanning nearly 55 years. S P Balasubrahmanyam was admitted at the hospital in Chennai on August 5 and was on life support measures since August 14 for severe COVID pneumonia.

Balasubrahmanyam made his debut as a playback singer on December 15, 1966 with Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna, a

Telugu film scored by his mentor, S P Kodandapani.

Balasubrahmanyam came to international prominence with film Sankarabharanam in 1980. The film is considered to be one of the best films ever to emerge from the Telugu film industry.

Directed by K Vishwanath, the film’s soundtrack was composed by K V Mahadevan, and led to an increase in the usage of Carnatic music in Telugu cinema. Not a classically trained singer, he used a ‘film music’ aesthetic in recording the songs Balasubrahmanyam received his first National Film Award for best male playback singer for Sankarabharanam. His first work in Hindi films was in the following year, in Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981), for which he received another National Film Award for best male playback singer. Balasubrahmanyam married to Savitri and has two children, daughter Pallavi and son S P B Charan, also a playback singer and film producer.