Popular Bollywood singer KK dies at 53

Singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, better known as KK, passed away on Tuesday evening.

He was performing at Kolkata's Nazrul Mancha auditorium and later went to his hotel in Esplanade where he fell ill and collapsed. He was brought to a hospital and was declared dead, according to Hindustan Times.

He was 53 years old. One of the most versatile singers of the Indian film industry, KK has recorded songs in several languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali.

He is survived by his wife and children.

KK was gifted with a boisterous yet mellifluous voice that will be remembered by his fans for many decades to come.

An auditory treat for his listeners, the versatile musician was an integral part of most ‘90s kids’ lives as his music helped many of them get through several facets of life, be it heartbreaks or the simple daily hustles. His melodious voice and penchant for love songs touched a chord with people, making him stand tall among all the talented singers of Bollywood.

Though a Malayali by birth, who had never undergone any formal training in music, KK never shied away from singing in languages he was not much acquainted with, like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati. This is yet another reason why the singer’s fans can be found across the nation.

Born in New Delhi to CS Menon and Kunnath Kanakavalli on August 23, 1968, he was an alumnus of Delhi’s Mount St Mary’s School. Following his college, KK reportedly had a short stint as a marketing associate in the hotel industry after which he shifted to Mumbai to pursue a career in music.

He was greatly influenced by the singer Kishore Kumar and music director RD Burman. Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Bryan Adams and Led Zeppelin were also some of his favourite international singers and bands.

In 1994, he took a chance and gave a demo tape to Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot and Leslie Lewis. After working on several jingles over the next few years, he was introduced as a playback singer with A R Rahman’s hit song ‘Kalluri Saaley’ and ‘Hello Dr.’ from Kadir’s ‘Kadhal Desam’ and then ‘Strawberry Kannae’ from the musical film ‘Minsara Kanavu’.

Finally, in 1999, he made his debut as a Bollywood playback singer with ‘Tadap Tadap’ from ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. Though, prior to this, he had sung a small portion of the song ‘Chhod Aaye Hum’ from Gulzar’s ‘Maachis’.

In the same year, he came out with his debut solo album titled ‘Pal’ with Leslie Lewis composing the music. Every ‘90s kid will always remember KK for the album’s title track ‘Pal’ and also ‘Yaaron’ which gave most school kids friendship goals. His voice struck a connection with listeners that left them wanting for more and such was the emotional connect that even today, these songs are played in school and office farewells.

He was a musician who wasn’t labeled by any particular genre or style, his voice merely went hand-in-hand with wonderful music of all kinds. KK sang upbeat dance songs as well as cheesy romantic hits, and this is what made him a singer of all ages who will forever be cherished in the hearts of his millions of fans across the globe. He was a singer who sang and performed till his last breath.