Veteran playback singer S. Janaki, whose voice defined generations of South Indian cinema, died in Mysuru, Karnataka, on Saturday. She was 88.
According to The Hindu, Janaki was taken to Apollo Hospital in Mysuru in the early hours of Saturday after developing health complications. She had been living in the city’s Bogadi area for the past few years. Doctors admitted her to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she remained in critical condition. Despite intensive treatment and continuous monitoring, she suffered a cardiac arrest and died later in the evening, the hospital said in a statement.
Her granddaughter, Apsara Vydyula, announced the news in an emotional Instagram post, saying Janaki passed away peacefully surrounded by her family.
“She left us peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family. While our hearts are heavy, we are also filled with gratitude for the extraordinary life she lived and the immeasurable joy she brought to millions through her timeless music,” she wrote.
Apsara described her grandmother as more than an iconic singer. “To the world she was an iconic voice whose songs became part of countless memories. To us, she was a loving grandmother whose warmth, humility, kindness and grace will remain with us forever,” she added.
Widely regarded as one of India’s greatest playback singers, Janaki recorded more than 48,000 songs in several languages. She sang predominantly in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, while also recording songs in around 20 Indian languages, including Hindi, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali.
Her career spanned more than six decades, during which she lent her voice to films, albums, television productions and radio, leaving behind one of the richest musical legacies in Indian cinema.
