Indian
film
personalities
such
as
Akshay
Kumar,
Karan
Johar,
Kumar
Sanu,
and
Varun
Grover
paid
tribute
to
singer
KK,
who
died
in
Kolkata
on
Tuesday
night.
He
was
53.
The
velvet
voice,
who
represented
the
many
tones
of
the
Indian
youth
growing
up
in
the
1990s
and
2000s,
was
known
for
his
varied
discography
which
included
romantic
ballads
like
"Tadap
Tadap",
"Bas
Ek
Pal",
"Aankhon
Mein
Teri",
disco
numbers
"Koi
Kahe",
"It's
The
Time
To
Disco",
and
non-film
tracks
such
as
"Pal"
and
"Aapki
Dua".
The
singer,
whose
real
name
was
Krishnakumar
Kunnath,
performed
at
a
concert
organised
by
a
college
at
Nazrul
Mancha
in
south
Kolkata
for
almost
an
hour
in
the
evening.
He
was
"feeling
heavy" after
reaching
his
hotel,
and
soon
collapsed,
officials
said.
He
was
taken
to
a
nearby
private
hospital
where
doctors
declared
him
brought
dead
around
10
pm,
they
said.
Doctors
at
the
hospital
said
they
suspected
"cardiac
arrest" to
be
the
cause
of
the
death.
As
the
news
of
his
sudden
death
broke,
condolences
from
contemporaries,
associates
from
the
film
industry,
and
fans
started
pouring
on
social
media.
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
led
the
tribute
to
the
popular
singer.
The
prime
minister
said
he
was
saddened
by
the
untimely
demise
of
KK,
whose
songs,
he
said,
reflected
a
wide
range
of
emotions.
"Saddened
by
the
untimely
demise
of
noted
singer
Krishnakumar
Kunnath
popularly
known
as
KK.
His
songs
reflected
a
wide
range
of
emotions
as
struck
a
chord
with
people
of
all
age
groups.
We
will
always
remember
him
through
his
songs.
Condolences
to
his
family
and
fans.
Om
Shanti,"
Modi
said
in
a
tweet.
Union
Home
Minister
Amit
Shah
remembered
KK
as
a
"talented
and
versatile"
singer.
"His
untimely
demise
is
very
saddening
and
a
huge
loss
to
Indian
music.
With
his
gifted
voice,
he
has
left
an
indelible
impression
on
the
minds
of
countless
music
lovers.
My
deepest
condolences
to
his
family
and
fans,"
Shah
wrote
on
Twitter.
A
senior
officer
of
the
Kolkata
Police
told
PTI
that
a
post-mortem
would
be
conducted
on
Wednesday
to
ascertain
the
exact
reason
for
the
death.
Bollywood
superstar
Akshay
Kumar
said
he
was
"shocked" to
know
about
the
demise
of
the
singer,
who
had
recorded
songs
across
languages
such
as
Hindi,
Tamil,
Telugu,
Kannada,
and
Bengali.
"What
a
loss!
Om
Shanti,"
he
wrote
on
Twitter.
Regarded
as
one
of
the
most
versatile
singers
of
his
generation,
KK
was
able
to
mould
his
voice
to
suit
the
on-screen
persona
of
the
country's
biggest
stars
such
as
Shah
Rukh
Khan,
Salman
Khan,
Emraan
Hashmi
and
Ranbir
Kapoor.
As
an
independent
artist,
his
popular
albums
'Pal'
and
'Humsafar'
stand
the
test
of
time
and
are
a
walk
down
memory
lane
for
the
millennials
who
are
now
all
grown
up
today.
One
of
the
early
hits
of
KK
was
the
song
'Yaaron
Dosti'
from
the
1999
coming-of-age
film
"Rockford",
which
is
one
of
the
best
odes
to
friendship
in
the
modern
era.
Veteran
singer
Kumar
Sanu
said
he
was
unable
to
come
to
terms
with
KK's
death.
"I
cannot
comprehend.
He
was
one
of
my
most
favourite
singers," Sanu
told
PTI.
Filmmaker
Karan
Johar
said
it
was
heartbreaking
news.
"Heartbreaking
news
on
the
sudden
passing
away
of
such
an
incredible
talent….
RIP
KK…the
entertainment
world
has
lost
a
true
artist
today….Om
Shanti,"
Johar
wrote.
Lyricist-writer
Varun
Grover
paid
a
heartfelt
tribute
to
KK,
an
artist
whose
songs,
he
said,
were
all
about
loss
and
vulnerability.
"KK
was
an
artist
you'd
discover
in
private.
His
best
works
were
all
about
personal
moments
of
loss
&
vulnerability,"
he
said.
In
an
emotional
post
on
Twitter,
filmmaker
Srijit
Mukherji
bid
adieu
to
his
"newest
friend"
with
whom
he
bonded
over
the
song
recording
sessions
along
with
veteran
lyricist
Gulzar
for
his
upcoming
Hindi
film
"Sherdil".
"In
a
state
of
total
shock.Just
met
him
last
month
for
the
1st
time
&
felt
that
we'd
known
each
other
for
years.The
chatter
wouldn't
just
stop.And
I
was
so
moved
to
see
the
love
he
had
for
Gulzar
saab.He
said
he
stepped
into
this
world
with
Chhor
aaye
hum
&
sang
it
as
a
tribute,"
Mukherji
wrote
as
he
shared
videos
from
their
sessions.
KK
started
his
film
playback
career
with
Gulzar
when
he
sang
the
memorable
track
"Chhod
Aaye
Hum
Woh
Galiyaan" composed
by
Vishal
Bhardwaj
for
the
1996
film
"Maachis",
also
directed
by
Gulzar.
The
singer-lyricist
duo
went
on
to
collaborate
for
films
such
as
2001's
"Aks",
2002's
"Filhaal…"
and
"Saathiya",
and
"Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom"
in
2007,
among
others.
"Farewell
@KK_Pal,
my
newest
friend.
Will
miss
you.
I
wish
we
could
have
had
more
sessions
on
music
and
food
and
cinema,"
wrote
Mukherji
in
a
follow-up
tweet.
"We
had
been
friends
for
27
hours.
He
was
a
versatile
singer
and
a
performer.
Cannot
imagine
he
could
leave
us
in
this
way,"
music
director
Jeet
Ganguly
added.
Singer-songwriter
Armaan
Malik
said
he
was
"extremely
sad
and
devastated".
In
KK's
death,
the
Indian
music
industry
has
lost
another
icon
this
year
following
the
demise
of
Lata
Mangeshkar,
Bappi
Lahiri,
Punjabi
singer-Congress
leader
Sidhu
Moosewala,
he
said.
"These
losses..
all
of
them
feel
so
personal,"
he
added.
Actor
R
Madhavan
said
he
was
heartbroken.
KK
had
memorably
sung
the
heartbreak
song
"Sach
Keh
Raha
Hai
Deewana",
which
was
picturised
on
Madhavan
in
the
film
"Rehna
Hai
Tere
Dil
Mein".
"...
lost
a
wonderful
human
and
a
great
voice
today.
Rest
In
Peace
bro.
The
heavens
are
luckier,"
he
tweeted.
KK
was
on
a
two-day
tour
to
Kolkata
and
was
supposed
to
return
to
New
Delhi
on
Wednesday.
The
singer
is
survived
by
wife
and
two
sons.