Popular Bollywood singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, known as KK, has died about an hour after performing on the stage of the Indian metropolitan city of Calcutta.
Key points:
- KK reportedly felt unwell shortly after performing at the Nazrul Mancha Auditorium in Calcutta
- A hospital spokesman says the singer was pronounced dead on arrival
- He rose to fame as a multi-lingual singer
He was 53 years old.
Fans have been using social media to express their shock at his death, especially since he posted about the “throbbing concert” in Nazrul Mancha a few hours before he died.
“Thrilling concert tonight in Nazrul Mancha. Vivekananda College !! I love you all,” he posted.
According to the Indian newspaper The Telegraph, the singer had complained of feeling unwell when he returned to the Oberoi Grand Hotel after the performance.
He also had a performance scheduled for today.
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He was transferred to the Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in Alipore, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A CMRI official told ABC News that he was taken to hospital around 10pm on Tuesday night.
“The usual procedure is that when someone dies in the hospital, the body is handed over to the police and an autopsy is done, but in the case of someone as popular as him, we still don’t know what the next steps are.” , added the spokesman.
KK has been widely acclaimed as a playback singer in several languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Marathi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over KK’s death, calling it a “premature disappearance”.
“Saddened by the untimely demise of well – known singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK.
“His songs reflected a wide range of emotions and touched the strings of people of all ages. We will always remember him through his songs.
“Condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti.”
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Tributes also came from many popular television personalities, remembering many of his romantic and timeless songs that spanned generations.
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Some people also made a comparison between his death and that of former APJ President Abdul Kalam, who collapsed during a conference at the Indian Institute of Management in Shillong in 2015.
“There’s nothing like moving to the other side while you do what you like best on that side …” a fan added.