S. P. Bala, legendary Indian singer, dead at 74

Legendary playback singer SP Bala died on Sept 25 while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a Chennai hospital. Photo: The Star

Singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam who lent his mellifluous voice to some 40,000 songs across thousands of Indian film soundtracks, died in Chennai on Friday (Sept 25) after contracting coronavirus in August. He was 74.

Balasubrahmanyam was a frequent muse for Oscar-, BAFTA-, Grammy- and Golden Globe-winning composer A.R. Rahman, for whom he sang in numerous films, including his debut, 1992's Roja.