KK, whose real name was Krishnakumar Kunnath, was a singer-composer who died in Kolkata at the age of 53.
He was in city for a two-day concert when he became ill during one of the events. He was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead. He died of a heart attack, according to reports.
KK is one of the most versatile singers in the Indian film industry, having recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Bengali, among other languages.
He is best known for songs such as “Zindagi Do Pal Ki” from Kites, “Aankhon Mein Teri” from Om Shanti Om, “Khuda Jaane” from Bachna Ae Haseeno, and “Tadap Tadap” from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, to mention some.
From his 1999 album Pal, KK was known as the heartfelt multilingual singer behind Hindi songs like “Yaaron” and “Pal.” Following its inclusion in the soundtrack for the coming-of-age film Rockford, the song “Yaaron” received a spike in popularity.
Across languages, he collaborated with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, A.R. Rahman, Anu Malik, Pritam, Harris Jayaraj, Gurukiran, and others.
The untimely death of noted singer KK has saddened Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His songs reflected a wide range of emotions and resonated with listeners of all ages. “Through his songs, we will always remember him,” he added.
Saddened by the untimely demise of noted singer Krishnakumar Kunnath popularly known as KK. His songs reflected a wide range of emotions as struck a chord with people of all age groups. We will always remember him through his songs. Condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2022
Just after KK’s death, a lot of celebrities from the Indian music industry paid heartfelt tributes to the popular playback singer.
Shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden demise of an extremely talented and dignified singer of the film fraternity. An amazing original voice with a tremendous range.
— Jaaved Jaaferi (@jaavedjaaferi) May 31, 2022
RIP dear KK. Heartfelt condolences to the family ๐๐ฝ๐คฒ๐ฝ
Too many going too soon ๐https://t.co/i9AB3pNgu2
KK no more !!! I am failing to make sense of people leaving the world at such young age. Deeply saddened- he was a great guy and fabulous singer- huge loss to the music world – Deepest condolences to the family and loved ones. ๐๐ฝ Om Shanti.
— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) May 31, 2022
Krishnakumar Kunnath, fondly known as KK, was one of the most versatile singers of the Indian music industry. His soulful voice gave us many memorable songs.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 1, 2022
Saddened by the news of his untimely demise last night. My heartfelt condolences to his family & fans across the world. pic.twitter.com/7Es5qklcHc
Extremely sad and shocked to know of the sad demise of KK. What a loss! Om Shanti ๐๐ป
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 31, 2022
This is such shocking and sad news. KK, thank you for sharing your talent with us all. Gone too soon. Rest in harmony!
— Abhishek ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ก๐๐ง (@juniorbachchan) May 31, 2022
This cannot be real.@K_K_Pal , nothing will be the same without you. Nothing. My heart is in tatters.
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) May 31, 2022
The voice of purity itself, of kindness of decency, of a true heart of gold. Gone.
I am unable to wrap my head around this news. Numb. #KK Why! This is too hard to accept! Heart is shattered in pieces.
— Shreya Ghoshal (@shreyaghoshal) May 31, 2022