India
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Kolkata,
June
01:
Well-known
Bollywood
singer
Krishnakumar
Kunnath,
popularly
known
as
KK,
died
in
Kolkata
on
Tuesday
night,
officials
said.
He
was
53,
and
survived
by
wife
and
two
children.
KK
performed
at
a
concert
organised
by
Gurudas
College
at
Nazrul
Mancha
in
south
Kolkata
for
almost
an
hour
in
the
evening.
It
was
reported
that
the
53-year-old
was
complaining
of
the
glare
of
lights
at
the
concert
and
was
feeling
uneasy,
so
he
took
a
small
break
and
went
backstage.
According
to
a
report
in
Hindustan
Times,
on
his
way
to
the
hotel,
KK
had
said
that
he
was
feeling
cold
when
the
air
conditioner
was
switched
on.
At
the
event,
there
was
a
huge
crowd
to
control
where
the
Police
had
to
spray
fire
extinguishers.
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,
they
said.
“KK
was
brought
to
the
hospital
around
10
pm.
It’s
unfortunate
that
we
could
not
treat
him,”
a
senior
official
of
the
hospital
said.
KK
was
declared
dead
on
arrival
at
the
private
CMRI
hospital
in
Alipore
around
10.45
pm.
The
singer’s
wife
and
son
have
reportedly
taken
the
morning
flight
to
Kolkata.
Doctors
at
the
hospital
said
they
suspected
“cardiac
arrest”
to
be
the
cause
of
the
death.
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.
Condoling
his
death,
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
said
KK
will
always
be
remembered
through
his
songs.
“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
tweeted.
His
wife
and
children
will
reach
Kolkata
on
Wednesday
morning.
KK,
who
was
on
a
two-day
tour
to
Kolkata,
also
performed
at
Nazrul
Manch
on
Monday
evening
in
a
concert
organised
by
Vivekananda
College.
He
was
supposed
to
return
to
New
Delhi
on
Wednesday.
“I
have
so
many
personal
memories
with
him.
We
started
our
careers
together.
He
was
such
a
nice
and
non-controversial
person.
Life
has
become
so
unpredictable
and
uncertain
after
the
pandemic,”
singer-turned-politician
Babul
Supriyo
told
reporters
after
reaching
the
hospital.
“KK
has
a
big
contribution
to
the
advent
of
rock
music
in
India,”
said
Supriyo,
a
TMC
MLA.
A
police
team
was
posted
outside
the
hospital
to
manage
KK’s
fans
who
started
gathering
after
hearing
the
news
of
his
death.
Shibasis
Banerjee,
a
student
of
Gurudas
College
who
attended
Tuesday’s
concert,
said
the
singer
was
full
of
energy
during
the
show.
“He
posed
with
us
for
selfies
and
also
gave
us
autographs
when
we
requested,”
he
said.
“He
performed
one
song
after
another
on
the
stage.
A
huge
number
of
people
gathered
to
see
him.
It
is
unbelievable
that
he
is
no
more.
I
met
him
at
such
a
show
during
the
initial
days
of
my
college,
when
I
told
him
that
today,
he
instantly
recognised
me,”
Shibasis
said.
Initial
hits
such
as
‘Pyaar
Ke
Pal’ and
‘Yaaron’
made
KK
popular
among
the
youths
of
the
country.
As
a
playback
singer,
he
has
recorded
Bollywood
numbers
such
as
‘Ankhon
Mein
Teri’
(Om
Shanti
Om),
‘Zara
Sa’
(Jannat),
‘Khuda
Jaane’
(Bachna
Ae
Hasino)
and
‘Tadap
Tadap’
(Hum
Dil
De
Chuke
Sanam).
A
versatile
singer,
KK
has
also
recorded
songs
in
Tamil,
Telugu,
Kannada,
Malayalam,
Marathi
and
Bengali,
among
other
languages.
Story first published: Wednesday, June 1, 2022, 10:01 [IST]