SP Balasubrahmanyam was 74. (Photo: Instagram/spbalasubrahmanyam)

Singer-actor SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away on Friday following coronavirus complications. He was 74.

SPB’s son SP Charan told reporters at MGM Healthcare in Chennai, “SPB belongs to everyone. He will live on in his songs. My dad passed away at 1.04 pm.”

A statement from the hospital read, “Thiru S P Balasubrahmanyam had been admitted at MGM Healthcare on August 5th and commenced on life support measures since August 14th for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. He continued to be closely monitored by our multidisciplinary team in the critical care unit. He tested negative for COVID-19 on September 4th. In a further setback this morning, despite maximal life support measures and the best efforts of the clinical team, his condition deteriorated further and he suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest. With profound grief, we regret to inform that he has passed away on September 25th at 13:04 Hours. We express our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, well-wishers and admirers at their loss during this time of anguish and sorrow.”

SPB was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the first week of August. (Photo: SP Balasubrahmanyam/Facebook)

SP Balasubrahmanyam was tested positive for Covid-19 in the first week of August. He was later shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of MGM Healthcare after his condition deteriorated.

Shripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) was revered by fans across age groups for his unparalleled contribution to Indian music. He held a Guinness World record for singing over 40,000 songs.

Besides singing in movies across 16 languages including Tamil, Telugu Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi, SP Balasubrahmanyam also played significant roles in many films. His major movies include Keladi Kanmani (1990), Thiruda Thiruda (1993), Kadhalan (1994), Ullaasam (1996) and others.

In a career spanning over five decades, SPB won six National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer and 25 Nandi Awards. The Government of India honoured the singer-actor with Padma Shri in 2001 Padma Bhushan in 2011.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Entertainment News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd