Anuradha Baskaran, assistant director of medical services at MGM Healthcare in Chennai, southeastern India, said there had been a “setback” in the singer’s health following his hospitalization on August 5 for coronavirus symptoms.
A leading figure in Indian cinema, Balasubrahmanyam, known to fans simply as “SPB” or “Balu,” has more than 1,000 credits as a playback singer – a voice artist who records songs that are later mimicked by actors in films – in languages including Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, English, Bengali and Punjabi.
“In a late night development on August 13, 2020, his condition had deteriorated, and based on the advice of the expert medical team that attended him, he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and he is on life support and his condition remains critical, “Baskaran said in a statement.
Baskaran said the singer, who is 74 years old, was closely followed by critical care experts.
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman paid tribute to Balasubrahmanyam on Twitter and asked fans to pray for the singer, whom he described as a “legend.”
“I ask all music fans to pray with me for this legend .. # SPBalasubrahmanyam .. he has given us so much fun with his great voice!” Rahman, who scored the soundtrack for “Slumdog Millionaire,” wrote on Twitter.
On Thursday, India conquered the United Kingdom to become the country with the fourth-highest number of coronavirus-related deaths, after the United States, Brazil and Mexico, according to a count from Johns Hopkins University.
India registered its first death related to Covid-19 on March 10 and has so far recorded a total of 48,040 deaths and 2.46 million cases, according to JHU data.
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