Singer-Composer KK Died In Kolkata At 53
Singer-composer KK, whose real name was Krishnakumar Kunnath, died in Kolkata on Tuesday at the age of 53. He was in the megacity for a two-day concert, and took ill during an event at Nazrul Mancha. Police, who have registered a case of unnatural death after KK's demise, revealed that the singer suffered a fall in the hotel he was taken to after he felt unwell and had to abandon his performance on Tuesday. Several celebrities from the Indian music industry paid heartfelt tributes to KK, after the demise of the popular playback singer. The entire music industry mourns KK’s sudden demise. Sources claims that he died of heart-attack but Police have a different version.
According to Police, ‘’ An initial probe has revealed that the 53-year-old singer, who was on a two-day tour to Calcutta to perform at two college programmes, was "almost mobbed" by fan followers at the hotel where he had returned after performing at Nazrul Mancha auditorium in the southern part of the city. The singer had allowed a couple of fan followers to take snaps with him, but then he refused to carry on with the selfie session. He left the lobby and then went upstairs where he had reportedly stumbled and fallen on the floor. People who were with him informed the hotel authorities. KK, was then rushed to a private hospital in the southern part of the city where he was declared "brought dead" by doctors, he said, adding that probably because of the fall, the singer had two injuries -- one on the left side of his forehead and another on his lips.’’ Doctors at the hospital said they suspected "cardiac arrest" to be the cause of the death. A post-mortem examination will be conducted during the day to ascertain the exact cause of his death. The autopsy report will throw light on the exact cause of death. We are waiting for it, the Police concluded.
` Born in a Malayali family in Delhi on August 23, 1968 and recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali, among other languages. , the shy boy became the lifeline of stage shows right from his college days in Kirorimal. Untrained, like his inspiration Kishore Kumar, the self-effacing singer believed in being known by his voice and not his public utterances. Like Kishore, he internalised the emotion and what came out was always heartfelt, mostly lasting. KK made his Bollywood debut with Maachis (Chor aaye hum woh galiya). After a couple of popular albums, particularly his Pyar Ke Pal number, he became a sensation with Hum Dil Chuke Sanam (1999), where he sang the anthem for the jilted lovers: “Tadap Tadap Ke Dil Se Aah Nikalti Rahi”. From the IITs and IIMs to the local colleges, no student farewell was ever complete without his songs of heartbreak and nostalgia, laced with the euphoric admission: “Tu Aashiqui Hai” ( Jhankaar Beats). Composed by the purist Ismail Durbar, Tadap Tadap not only proved KK’s range in the higher octaves, but also propelled him to sing several tracks for Salman Khan, whose fame was on the ascent. Over the next two decades, he sang immensely popular numbers for Shah Rukh Khan (“Aankhon Main Teri”), Emraan Hashmi (“Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai”, “Zara Si Dil Main De Jaga Tu”), Hrithik Roshan (“Dil Kyun Mera Shor Kare”) and Ranbir Kapoor (“Khuda Jane”) but his vocal chemistry with Salman remained unmatched, as evident up till Bajrangi Bhaijaan (“Tu Jo Mila” )
Blessed with a voice that created the magic of youthful exuberance and the melancholy of love with equal felicity, Krishnakumar Kunnath (1968-2022) gave goosebumps to the listeners every time he took the stage. Anybody who was touching puberty at the turn of the new millennium would have a KK song in their memory, that soaked the soul. One of the most versatile singers of this generation, KK had a fan following across languages, geographical barriers, and age groups. Till the end, he remained a rage in the concert circuit and will be remembered as the singer who became the voice of the heart when the world was getting into the rat trap of insipid pragmatism.
His song is like a handful of nostalgia. Fans can't accept KK's sudden departure in such a way. On Tuesday night, a mountain of grief descended on the entire Indian music world. All the tunes were stunned. KK is survived by his wife and two children.
Write a public review