Renowned saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath passed away at a private hospital in Mangalore, in Karnataka, early on Friday.
Reports confirmed the death, noting that he was 69, and had been suffering from poor health.
Gopalnath, a pioneer of Carnatic music, was born in Sajeepa Mooda village in Dakshina Kannada district in 1949.
He received many awards and accolades throughout his career, including the Kendra Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award, and the Karnataka Kalashree.
The musician has been hailed for his efforts in furthering fusion music collaborations, having performed at the Jazz Festival in Prague, the Berlin Jazz Festival, the International Cervantino Festival in Mexico, and the Music Hall Festival in Paris, to name a few of his most noted appearances.
He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2004, and is highly regarded for being among the few Carnatic musicians to have performed at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London.
The musician is survived by his wife and two sons, one of who is music director Manikanth Kadri.
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