Singer C Ashwath passes away at 70

Singer C Ashwath, a master of Kannada Sugam Sangeetha, has passed away this morning. He was 70. The Kannada musician was admitted to Columbia Asia Hospital Yashwanthpur, Bangalore after he suffered a severe stomach ache on 17 December 2009.

C Ashwath was suffering from abdominal pain and was admitted to ICU at Columbia Asia Hospital. He was being treated for liver and Kidney problem. The doctor had said that he was responding well to the treatment and soon he would be back to normal condition.

C. Aswath is a household name in Karnataka. He is, perhaps the only Music Director in Karnataka, to have carved a niche of his own in all three fields that demand music as an element of expression: Theatre, Sugam Sangeetha and Film.

He was born on December 29, 1939. He was graduated in Science from Bangalore University and later worked in Indian Telephone Industries for 27 years before retiring as an Executive Engineer in 1992. He started his musical career as a disciple of Devagiri Shankararao Joshi in Hindustani Music.

However, the singer has turned 70 today (29th Decebmer). His friends and well wishers had planned to celebrate his 70th birthday in a spacial way. A function was to be held at Ravindra Kala Kshetra, Bangalore and Swamiji of Suttur and Virendra Hegde were to facilitate him on the occasion this evening. After this, he was expected to sing his popular songs.

But bad luck! The singer C Ashwath has breathed his last on his birthday. His death has left Kannada music lovers into the pool of tears. We at Oneindia pray that may his soul rest in peace.