Legendary Carnatic singer and Padma Shri awardee KG Jayan passed away on Tuesday. The singer, who was undergoing treatment for various age-related ailments, breathe his last at his residence in Tripunithura, Kerala. As per media reports, the cremation will take place on April 17.
Jayan, who was 89 years old, was known for being a part of the Jaya-Vijaya duo along with his twin brother K G Vijayan. The brothers composed some of the most popular devotional songs during their time together. After the death of his brother, Jayan carried on their legacy and primarily focused on songs centred around Lord Ayyappa.
Additionally, the artist has composed over a thousand songs and has served as the music director for a few Malayalam and Tamil films. Some of his well-known songs include Saranamayyappaa Swami Saranamayyappaa, Mamala Vaazhum, Nakshatradeepangal Thilangi and Hridayam Devalayam.
Apart from the Padma Shri, Jayan is also a recipient of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award and the Harivarasanam Award. The news of the singer’s demise has been met with condolences from fans and other artists in the industry.
Singer KS Chithra took to social media to pen down a message expressing her grief. “It is with great sorrow I have heard about the passing away of K.G.Jayan sir. One of the finest carnatic classical musician & composers of Kerala. I had the privilege to work with him especially for devotional albums. May his soul rest in peace,” she wrote.
Jayan is survived by his sons Manoj K Jayan, who is a renowned Malayalam actor and Biju K Jayan.