KK dies: Indian singer Krishnakumar Kunnuth collapsed after becoming ill on stage
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi led tributes to the Bollywood star, who has made hundreds of songs since the 1990s. His death comes only two days after the murder of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala.
Wednesday 1 June 2022 15:20, UK
Popular Indian singer Krishnakumar Kunnuth, known as KK, has died suddenly after falling ill during a stage performance.
The 53-year-old was rushed to hospital after collapsing at a hotel in Kolkata in the eastern state of West Bengal.
He suffered from chest pains, according to local media, and was pronounced dead in hospital.
His cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, led tributes to the Bollywood star, who made hundreds of songs since the 1990s.
Mr Modi tweeted: "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."
Fans, politicians and others in the entertainment industry have also shared their tributes on social media.
Pritam Chakraborty, a music composer, tweeted he was in "utter shock" after hearing about his death, saying "please tell me it's not true".
Actor Ram Charan shared his condolences with a "heavy heart".
Armaan Malik, another Indian singer, tweeted it is a "black year for Indian music" after the deaths of three other household names.
Referring to the Sidhu Moose Wala only three days ago and the deaths of and , he said: "These losses.. all of them feel so personal."
Sidhu Moose Wala was shot 24 times on Sunday while driving his Jeep with two passengers.
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One fan on Twitter said: "KK was the voice of our collective nostalgia. His songs act like memory bookmarks to our life. Listen to one song, and time travel to that month, that year. Relive that fuzzy feeling."
KK was born in New Delhi and recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil and Bengali.
In a memoir on his website, The Mesmerizer, he said: "There is a certain energy an artiste gets when he or she is on stage. No matter what one's condition is, once I am on stage, I forget everything and simply perform."
The Bollywood star was the voice behind iconic and classic songs including Dus Bahane, Tadap Tadap, Aankhon Mein Teri, Dola Re Dola and Appadi Podu.
He began his career singing jingles for adverts and later released two albums, Pal (1999) and Humsafar (2008).
KK made his film debut with an A. R. Rahman soundtrack and his songs were dubbed over films.