Veteran singer SP Balasubrahmanyam tests positive for COVID-19

Chennai, Aug 05: Veteran singer-actor SP Balasubrahmanyam on Wednesday said he has been admitted to a hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.

The 74-year-old singer, who has worked across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam film industries, shared the news in a video message on Facebook.

Balasubrahmanyam said he was feeling chest congestion, cold and "on and off" fever since two-three days, following which he got himself tested for COVID-19.

"They said it is a very mild case of coronavirus positive. They said you can stay at home and self quarantine and asked me to take some medications.

"But I didn''t want to do that with all my family members being very concerned for me. So, I got admitted to a hospital, my friends are here and taking good care of me," the veteran singer said.

He also asked his well-wishers to not panic about his health and assured them that he was doing fine.

"I am in good hands and good health. Nobody should worry. I''m perfectly fine, except for the cold and fever, which has also subsided. In two days, I would be discharged and back home. Thank you for the concern," he added.

Since his singing debut in 1966 with the Telugu film "Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna", Balasubrahmanyam has bagged multiple National Awards and recorded over 40,000 songs in 16 Indian languages.

The singer went on to become superstar Salman Khan''s on-screen voice, crooning popular tracks for him in films like "Maine Pyaar Kiya" (1989), "Saajan" (1991) and 1994 blockbuster "Hum Aapke Hai Koun...!".