In what came as a sad piece of news for music lovers on Tuesday night, singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK who lent his voice to thousands of songs in the Entertainment industry passed away. The 53-year-old singer collapsed at the hotel where he was staying after the concert. He was rushed to the CMRI hospital, where he was declared brought dead. His passing away left the entire nation in shock and mourning with condolences pouring in for his family from the audience and celebrities alike. The news of his demise sent shockwaves in the industry, with many of his fans mourning the singer’s death.
KK’s music was unparalleled. A few of his songs from Emraan Hashmi and Sonal Chauhan’s movie Jannat were a massive hit. Be it Zara Sa or Haan Tu Hai, KK’s melodious voice was perhaps one of the major contributors to the film’s success.
His colleagues from the industry Pritam and Shaan paid emotional tribute to the late singer.
Shaan took to social media and recalled the KK’s memories by sharing a collage of priceless pictures with the late singer. Along with the collage, he dedicated a lengthy note.
Shaan wrote, “Let me just pretend you are here .. we never spoke on a regular basis .. but always had one another in a very special place in our heart !! I have said ‘ I want to be like KK’ as content, as uncomplicated yet uncompromising when it came to his personal space. Had his prioritise perfectly in place .. But I realise .. there can never be anyone like @kk_live_now !! He will always be ‘The One and Only’ .. “
He added, “.. I cannot even begin to imagine what Jyo, Nakul and Tamara are going through .. All I can say is that He gave them 20 lifetimes of warm memories .. compared to any average family man. We started together .. we did so many SuperDuper hits songs together .. #KoiKahe #TimeToDisco #DusBahane #HumdumSuniyoRe #Zameen ( title track) #Golmaal .. songs from #DeTaali .. the list is endless .. we did the most number of shows together .. touring with @anumalikmusic ji in the early 2000s.. .. #No1Yaari Tour through WB, Orissa, Assam .. our Back to back 3 shows in 3 years in Dubai. I am blessed to have known this ‘Boy’ (who refused to grow up .. and now will remain Forever Young).”
Along with KK’s fans, Salim Merchant too reacted to the post with two broken heart emoticons.
In his recent interview with Indian Express, Pritam recalled his bond with KK and how he had bonded with his soulful voice.
The music composer shared that the duo know each other from the days when they “finding our feet in Mumbai.” “After completing my sound engineering course at FTII Pune, I moved to this city in 1998. KK had settled here a year before. Both of us began with ad jingles and doing scores for corporate films — I would compose and he would sing.”
Pritam said, “he was my big brother and life coach. For all my late working hours, late sleeping and irregular food habits, I have never seen a more disciplined and wellness-oriented person. I am a last-moment guy, he was the sorted guy. He would do yoga, not smoke or drink, eat right, sleep and wake up on time, get timely medical check-ups. In fact, he would pull me up for not listening to and ignoring my body. “
“They don’t make men like him anymore. It is true KK never got his due within the music industry, given the benchmarks that define success. But he got love from music fans all over the world. Loved not in the cosmetic sense but of the spiritual kind, where a bit of his heart lives in each one of us,” he added.
