Popular playback singer KK died on Tuesday night after a performance in Kolkata. As per reports, the singer felt unwell after his performance at Nazrul Manch. He was taken to the CMRI hospital in South Kolkata where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The Kolkata Police are investigating the death and a case of ‘unnatural death’ has been registered. Meanwhile, the entertainment fraternity has expressed grief and shock at the singer’s sudden death.
On Wednesday, during the promotions of his upcoming film Samrat Prithviraj, actor Akshay Kumar spoke to news agency ANI where he also spoke about KK’s death. The actor said, “He was part of my career, he was a part of my lots of songs. In Airlift, he sang a big song that was part of the climax (Tu Bhoola Jise). It was because of that song that the climax sounded so good. It was a very shocking thing what happened last night.” Over the years, KK sang many songs picturised on Akshay Kumar, from Sajde Kiye in Khatta Meetha to Mujh Me Tu from Special 26.
This year has seen a number of popular Indian singers’ deaths, from Lata Mangeshkar to rapper Sidhu Moose Wala and now KK. Addressing this, Akshay said, “It’s very sad that we are losing a lot of our singers and it happened at a very young age.” Akshay had also tweeted in response to KK’s death on Tuesday night. “Extremely sad and shocked to know of the sad demise of KK. What a loss! Om Shanti,” he had written.
KK, full name Krishnakumar Kunnath, was born in Delhi in 1968, and rose to fame with the song Tadap Tadap Ke from the 1999 film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The same year, he also released his successful album Pal. Over the years, the singer carved a niche for himself singing various love songs. He was also known for his energetic stage performances.
The singer’s death sparked tributes from across the spectrum in the country. Everyone from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ranveer Singh and many in the music fraternity like Sonu Nigam, Harshdeep Kaur, and Vishal Dadlani expressed grief and shock.