P Jayachandran, Music Icon Credited With Singing Over 16000 Tracks In Multiple Indian Languages, Dies At 80

P Jayachandran, the celebrated playback singer who recorded over 16,000 songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, died at the age of 80. The singer died on Thursday evening while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thrissur, Kerala , hospital sources said. Jayachandran was widely recognised for his contribution to Indian music, having won several awards for best playback singer. He was also honoured with the Kerala government's prestigious J C Daniel Award.

P Jayachandran's awards and achievements

His achievements include the prestigious National Film Award for Best Playback Singer, five Kerala State Film Awards, the JC Daniel Award from the Government of Kerala, the highest award in Malayalam cinema, and the Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu, along with four Tamil Nadu State Awards. He is survived by his wife, Lalitha, daughter Lakshmi, and son Dinanathan, who has also made a name for himself in the music industry.

P Jayachandran: Career at a glance

P Jayachandran's discography in Malayalam and Tamil was extensive. He was lovingly called 'bhaavagayakan', which means ‘soulful singer’ in Malayalam. He received the gift of music from his father Ravivarma Kochanian Thamburan. Jayachandran started young and used to perform in school functions. He worked briefly at a private company in Madras. But destiny had other plans for him.

His life and career took a turn when filmmakers Shobhana Parameswaran Nair and A Vincent heard him sing at an event in Chennai and invited him to perform in movies. In 1965, he recorded his first song, Oru Mullappoomalayumaayi, for the film Kunhalimarikkar, written by P Bhaskaran and composed by Chidambaranath. Music director G Devarajan offered him another opportunity in the film Kalithozhan. Manjalayil Mungi Thorthi from the film became an all-time hit and also marked his official debut in cinema as a playback singer.

Jayachandran made a comeback in his career with his return to playback singing in 1999 after a hiatus of over a decade with the song Prayam Nammil in Niram. In Tamil cinema, he worked closely with iconic music composers like Ilayaraja and AR Rahman .