Mysuru: Legendary Indian playback singer S Janaki, fondly known as 'Janaki Amma', passed away at a private hospital in Mysuru on Saturday. She was 88.
According to family sources, she breathed her last while undergoing treatment at Apollo BGS Hospitals due to age-related ailments. She was rushed to the hospital after developing breathing difficulties on Friday night.
Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysuru, stated in a release that Janaki was declared dead at 7.30 pm.
"Janaki was admitted at 12:49 pm. On admission, her condition was critical, and she was immediately evaluated and shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for further management. Despite intensive medical care and continuous monitoring by a multidisciplinary team, she suffered a cardiac arrest during the course of treatment," it said.
"Advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated immediately in accordance with standard medical protocols. Despite resuscitative efforts, she experienced multiple cardiac arrests and could not be revived," the hospital added.
Sharing the news on behalf of the family, her granddaughter, Apsara Vydyula, said in an Instagram post, "It is with profound sadness that I share the passing of my beloved grandmother and legendary singer, Smt S. Janaki."
"She left us peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family. While our hearts are heavy, we are also filled with gratitude for the extraordinary life she lived and the immeasurable joy she brought to millions through her timeless music," she said.
"To the world, she was an iconic voice whose songs became part of countless memories. To us, she was a loving grandmother whose warmth, humility, kindness and grace will remain with us forever. We kindly request that you respect our family's privacy during this difficult time as we grieve and come to terms with this loss," she said, thanking everyone for their love, prayers and understanding.
Six-decade-long musical journey
During her career spanning six decades, she recorded nearly 48,000 songs in multiple Indian languages, predominantly Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. She also sang for films, albums, television and radio in about 20 Indian languages, including Hindi, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali.
She is known for her collaborations with celebrated music composers such as Ilaiyaraaja, M S Viswanathan and A R Rahman. She also sang in foreign languages, including English, Japanese, German and Sinhala.
Janaki was born on April 23, 1938, in Pallapatla, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.
She was regarded as the 'Nightingale of South India', while her fans in Karnataka affectionately called her 'Gana Kogile'.
Janaki began her singing career with the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu (1957) at the age of 19.
Though she was highly popular in other South Indian languages, Janaki is said to have sung the highest number of songs in Kannada during her career.
Her duets with legends such as P B Srinivas, S P Balasubrahmanyam and Dr Rajkumar remain evergreen hits.
Though she had announced her retirement from playback singing and stage performances in 2016, she returned in 2018 to sing for the Tamil film Pannaadi.
Four National Awards, 33 state film awards in 60 years
Janaki won four National Film Awards and 33 state film awards.
She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Mysore, the Kalaimamani Award from the Tamil Nadu government, and the Rajyotsava Prashasti from the Government of Karnataka.
In 2013, she refused to accept the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, saying it had come too late. Janaki had also expressed that she deserved the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, for her contributions to music.
Plain white or uncoloured sarees and a simple, elegant style remained her signature look for many years following the passing of her husband, V Ramprasad, in 1997.
Her son, Murali Krishna, passed away on January 22 this year.
Funeral in Mysuru
Expressing shock over Janaki's death, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said in a post on X, "Through her golden voice, Janaki Amma found a place in the hearts and homes of millions. With the demise of this multilingual singing legend, the world of music has fallen silent with the loss of one of its most melodious voices."
"A mentor who encouraged and nurtured many singers, and the very embodiment of simplicity, Janaki Amma's unparalleled voice will remain immortal in the cultural heritage of Karnataka forever," he added.
ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಗೌರವಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ 'ಗಾನ ಕೋಗಿಲೆ' ಅಂತ್ಯಸಂಸ್ಕಾರಮೈಸೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಧನರಾಗಿರುವ ಗಾನ ಕೋಗಿಲೆ ಎಸ್. ಜಾನಕಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ ಸದಸ್ಯರಿಗೆ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @DKShivakumar ಅವರು ದೂರವಾಣಿ ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಾಂತ್ವನ ಹೇಳಿದರು.ಸ್ವರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಞಿ ಎಸ್. ಜಾನಕಿ ಅವರ ಅಂತ್ಯಸಂಸ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ಸಕಲ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಗೌರವಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ನೆರವೇರಿಸಲು… https://t.co/Uki9KgQkMr
The public will be allowed to pay their respects to Janaki Amma at Maharaja College Grounds on Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm. Fulfilling her last wish, her mortal remains will be cremated at her farmhouse in Kaniyanahundi, Mysuru, at around 4.30 pm.
Karnataka Chief Minister said that the last rites will be conducted with full state honours.Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah has been deputed to represent the Karnataka government at the funeral.