SP Balasubrahmanyam, the 'singing moon' of nation laid to rest with full state honours; ocean of fans, celebs and family bid a tearful adieu

New Delhi: The legendary Indian singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, also hailed as the 'singing moon' of the nation breathed his last on Friday (September 25, 2020) at 1.04 pm. His last rites were performed with full state honours amid an ocean of gathering including fans, colleagues and family paying a tearful adieu. 

The 'music cloud' was laid to rest at the family farmhouse in Thamaraipakkam, in the outskirts of Chennai on Saturday afternoon. A 24-gun salute by Tamil Nadu police was given to the departed soul as the onlookers paid their last respects. 

According to PTI, after the singer's son SP Charan performed the funeral rites amid Vedic chants by priests, 24 police personnel gave a gun salute and later the body was lowered into a deep pit and buried.

With policemen marching along, the body was brought on a bier to the designated burial spot from an enclosure earmarked for people to pay homage and perform rituals. The farmhouse at Tamaraipakkam in nearby Tiruvallur district teemed with his fans, well-wishers and celebrities for the funeral and about 500 police personnel were deployed to regulate the crowd.

Tamil Nadu: Last rites of singer SP Balasubrahmanyam being performed at Thamaraipakkam village of Thiruvallore district.

SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away yesterday. pic.twitter.com/jEdERZAzNV — ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2020

SP Balasubrahmanyam, also known as SPB, was admitted to Chennai's MGM Healthcare hospital on August 5 after developing mild symptoms of the deadly novel coronavirus. 

After the unfortunate news of his demise broke on the internet, fans and colleagues from the movie industry thronged social media to mourn this death. Kamal Haasan, who even paid a late-night visit to Balasubrahmanyam in hospital yesterday, Salman Khan, Dhanush, AR Rahman,  Mahesh Babu, Ritiesh Deshmukh and many others extended condolences to the family in this hour of grief. 

The singer, also known as SPB, was extremely critical and on Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and other life support measures, his health bulletin confirmed a day back. 

SP Balasubrahmanyam has sung songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam movies. In fact, he has recorded over 40,000 songs in 16 Indian languages reportedly. The singer has been showered with several awards and honours in his illustrious singing career.

(With agency inputs)