Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai after testing positive for COVID-19 during the first week of August, passed away today after a long battle with the coronavirus.
On August 5, SPB, as he was fondly called, announced through a video recording, which he posted on his Facebook page, that he had tested positive for COVID-19, and had gotten admitted in a hospital.
While his health had deteriorated during the second week in hospital, he was gradually making progress, with his son, SP Charan diligently updating on his health status. In fact, Charan's last update, on September 22, said he was making steady progress even though he was on Ecmo/ventilator, and was eager to leave the hospital.
Unfortunately, the acclaimed singer's health deteriorated in the last 24 hours and he passed away yesterday.
SPB, who made his singing debut in 1966 with the Telugu film Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna, was the most prolific singer the country has ever seen.
The veteran singer has recorded over 40,000 songs in 16 Indian languages and holds the Guinness World Record for recording the highest number of songs by a singer. -TOI