Kumar Sangakkara pays tribute to SP Balasubrahmanyam, recalls memories from award ceremony

Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara took to Twitter on Friday to express his grief following the demise of the legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam. Calling SPB's death a 'tragic loss', the cricketer recalled the time when the two shared the stage in Colombo during an award ceremony. On September 25 at 1:04 pm, legendary singer-musician Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam passed away at Chennai at the age of 74 after a month-long battle at MGM Healthcare Hospital in Chennai. 

In February, the Kamban Kazhagam of Colombo, Sir Lanka, brought together SP Balasubrahmanyam and Kumar Sangakkara and felicitate both with awards. SPB was given the Kamban Pugazh title for 2020 on the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Kazagam. Soon after the singer shared a post on Facebook which read, "My joy tripled when I had the honour of sharing the stage with Dignitaries, and especially Mr Kumar Sangakkara, one of my most favourite Cricketers."

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SP Balasubrahmanyam's Death

SPB was hospitalised at MGM Healthcare in August after testing positive for Coronavirus. Initially, he was doing well and only had mild symptoms but soon after his health deteriorated following which he was put on ventilator an ECMO support. Though SPB tested negative for COVID-19 on September 7, he was kept on the ventilator and ECMO support along with passive physiotherapy. On September 25 at 1:04 pm, SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away after suffering a cardio-respiratory stroke in the ICU of the Chennai hospital at the age of 74 years. On Friday, the mortal remains of the singer were brought to his farmhouse in Tamil Nadu’s Thamaraipakkam village of Thiruvallur district to perform the last rites.

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More on SP Balasubrahmanyam

SPB was one of the most popular singers in the Indian film industry. He was also known for his work in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam films. SP Balasubrahmanyam recorded over 40,000 songs in various regional languages and also holds the Guinness World Record for having the biggest number of recorded songs. SPB received some of the most prestigious awards including Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri among several others during the course of his career. Some of his most acclaimed works were in movies like Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Maine Pyar Kiya, Saagara Sangamam, Rudraveena, Sri Ramadasu, Mozhi, and Aaptha Rakshaka. 

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