Singer KK passes away at 53; PM Modi, Amit Shah condole untimely death of music sensation

New Delhi, Jun 1: Well-known Bollywood singer KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath) passed away at the age of 53. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Initially, it was reported that he suffered a cardiac arrest during a concert at Nazrul Manch in Kolkata. However, KK was "feeling heavy" after reaching his hotel, and soon collapsed, officials told news agency PTI. 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 they suspected "cardiac arrest" to be the cause of the 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.

His wife and sons will 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.

Krishnakumar Kunnath was a popular singer who recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati languages films. He was regarded as one of the most versatile singers of his generation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the death of the singer and said that people will remember him through his songs. He 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."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that his untimely demise is very saddening and a huge loss to Indian music. He tweeted, "KK was a very talented and versatile singer. His untimely demise is very saddening and a huge loss to Indian music. With his gifted voice, he has left an indelible impression on the minds of countless music lovers. My deepest condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti Shanti"

Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari expressed his sadness with a tweet, "Saddened to know the news about the untimely demise of notable singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as 'KK'. His demise is a huge loss to the Indian music industry. My deepest condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti."

A police team was posted outside the hospital to manage KK's fans who started gathering after hearing the news of his death.