Noted Kannada singer Shivamogga Subbanna passed away at a hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday night, August 11. The 83-year-old singer suffered a heart attack, his family said. The singer was admitted to Jayadeva Hospital in the city, where he passed away. Shivamogga Subbanna is survived by a son and a daughter.

Subbanna, whose birth name was Subramanya, was the first Kannadiga to win a National Award for playback singing for his song Kaadu Kudure Odi Banditta in the film Kaadu Kudure in 1979. Known for his work in the field of Sugama Sangeetha, a genre in which poetry in Kannada is set to music, Subbanna has worked on and sung poems of famous poets such as Kuvempu and Da Ra Bendre, and got several awards and honours. He was also a singer with Akashvani and Doordarshan, and had worked as an advocate. Subbanna is said to have popularised tatva pada (songs that convey moral or religious ideas in an easy manner) of Saint Shishunala Sharief along with NS Lakshminarayana Bhatta, in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences on August 12. The tweet said that Shivamogga Subbanna "was a household name for those who love Kannada songs and music" and he was "pained by his demise."

The exceptional Shivamogga Subbanna was a household name for those who love Kannada songs and music. His works are admired and so are his efforts to connect gems of Kannada poetry with the present generation. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 12, 2022

The singer had received numerous awards and honours for his contributions to music including Kannada Kampu award in 2006, an honorary doctorate from Kuvempu University in 2008 and Sundarashri Award in 2009. Apart from these awards, a book on Subbanna’s life and achievements titled Gauravaanvita Gaayaka Subbanna was published in 2009. During the launch event, he was called a “synonym for melody and affability” by the famous Kannada poet GS Shivarudrappa.

(With PTI inputs)