S Janaki (1938-2026): PM Modi and stars pay tribute: 'An irreparable loss to the world of music and culture'

Dubai: Legendary playback singer S Janaki, known across generations of South Indian cinema as the Nightingale of South India, died in Mysuru on Saturday. She was 88.

S Janaki was admitted to Apollo BGS Hospitals in Mysuru on July 11 in critical condition and moved to intensive care. According to a statement from the hospital, she suffered a cardiac arrest during treatment and, despite CPR and continued efforts from her medical team, could not be revived. She was declared dead at 7.30pm that evening.

Over a career spanning more than 60 years, Janaki recorded more than 40,000 songs across close to 20 Indian languages, among them Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Odia, Punjabi and Bengali. She won four National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer, alongside a Padma Vibhushan and numerous state honours, and remains one of the most recorded voices in the history of Indian film music.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her passing "an irreparable loss to the world of music and culture," writing that her songs "gave voice to every emotion with unparalleled grace as well as versatility." President Droupadi Murmu described her as a musical icon whose "illustrious career spanned more than six decades," pointing to the sheer range of languages she recorded in.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actor Vijay praised her "unique voice" and the "countless prestigious awards, including multiple National Film Awards" she won across a career that touched Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi cinema alike. Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also paid tribute, with Naidu remembering her as "a daughter of Telugu soil" who built "an unparalleled musical legacy."

Actors who worked closely with her offered more personal reflections. Chiranjeevi wrote that her voice "breathed life into the many emotions we brought to life on screen," while Trisha, who has a film named after the singer, called it "one of the greatest honours of my life" to carry her name, adding, "Your voice will live forever."

Singer Chinmayi shared a specific memory of performing alongside her on stage in Australia some two decades ago, recalling how she could not tell, listening from backstage, whether the powerful low register she was hearing belonged to a man or a woman, until she realised it was Janaki herself.

The public will be able to pay their respects at Maharaja's College Grounds in Mysuru between 8am and 4pm on July 12. Her last rites will follow at her family's farm in Kaniyanahundi, in Mysuru's HD Kote taluk, at 5pm the same day.