In
what
is
yet
another
major
loss
to
the
Indian
entertainment
industry
this
year,
legendary
singer
SP
Balasubrahmanyam
breathed
his
last
on
September
25,
2020.
SP
Balasubrahmanyam,
who
has
sung
over
40,000
songs
in
16
Indian
languages,
was
mourned
by
celebrities
and
artists
across
the
nation,
including
from
many
regional
entertainment
industries.
Bollywood
playback
singer
Asha
Bhosle
released
a
statement
condoling
SPB's
death.
It
reads,
"This
year
has
seen
a
lot
of
unfortunate
events.
And
the
news
of
SP
Balasubramaniam's
demise
that
I
have
heard
just
now
makes
me
even
sadder.
He
was
an
amazingly
versatile
artiste.
His
first
songs
after
South,
in
Hindi
with
Lakshmikant
Pyarelal
were
amazing.
His
duet
with
Lata
didi
was
very
memorable.
Balu
sang
a
lot
of
songs
for
RD
Burman
and
was
his
friend.
He
had
helped
me
a
lot
with
my
Tamil
pronunciation
in
my
song
for
Ilayaraja.
The
loss
of
such
a
great
artiste
has
left
a
huge
void
in
the
music
world.
I
wish
his
soul
to
rest
in
peace
in
this
musical
journey
to
be
one
with
the
almighty.
RIP
Balu."
SP
Balasubrahmanyam
had
tested
positive
for
the
Novel
Coronavirus
earlier,
and
was
hospitalized
on
August
5,
2020.
Although
he
recovered
from
COVID-19
and
showed
signs
of
improvement
briefly,
his
health
continued
to
deteriorate
and
he
was
eventually
put
on
ventilator
support.
He
passed
away
at
MGM
Healthcare,
Chennai,
in
the
afternoon,
due
to
cardio-respiratory
arrest.
He
was
74.
Notably,
SPB
had
won
six
National
Film
Awards,
a
number
of
regional
film
awards,
and
was
honoured
with
the
Padma
Shri
in
2001
and
the
Padma
Bhushan
in
2011.
He
began
his
career
as
a
playback
singer
with
the
1966
Telugu
film
Sri
Sri
Sri
Maryada
Ramanna.
He
had
also
dabbled
with
acting
and
dubbing.
His
glorious
career
spanned
over
54
years.