Well-known singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, passed away in Kolkata on Tuesday night, May 31, officials said. His death came as a shock to his fans, as he had performed in a concert organised by a college at Nazrul Mancha in south Kolkata for almost an hour on the same evening. He was 53, and is survived by his wife and two sons. KK was performing in a concert organised by a college at Nazrul Mancha in south Kolkata for almost an hour in the evening, prior to his death.
Officials said that he was "feeling heavy" after reaching his hotel, and soon collapsed. 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. Doctors at the hospital said that they suspected a cardiac arrest to be the cause of his 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. KK is survived by his wife and two sons.
Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 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.
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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2022
His wife and sons are to reach Kolkata from New Delhi on Wednesday morning. KK, who was on a two-day tour to Kolkata, performed at Nazrul Manch in a concert organised by another college on Monday evening as well. 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.
As a playback singer, he has recorded popular 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). Regarded as one of the most versatile singers of his generation, KK was able to mould his voice to suit the on-screen persona of the country's biggest stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Emraan Hashmi and Ranbir Kapoor.
As an independent artist, his popular albums Pal and Humsafar stand the test of time and are a walk down memory lane for the millennials who are now all grown up today. One of the early hits of KK was the song Yaaron Dosti from the 1999 coming-of-age film "Rockford", which is one of the best odes to friendship in the modern era.
A versatile singer, KK has also recorded songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali, among other languages.