Kochi: Devasenan Chokkalingam, widely known as 'Deva', a prominent composer and singer from the Tamil Nadu film industry, has passed away in Chennai, according to reports. He was 76.
Born in Mylapore in 1950, Deva learned music all by himself due to childhood financial struggles.
He later learned piano under Dhanraj Master, who also taught the musical maestro Ilaiyaraaja. He regarded his brothers, Sabesh and Murali, a music composer duo themselves who worked with Ilaiyaraaja, as the gurus who brought him to the limelight.
In the year 1996, he composed tunes for 36 movies, a record for many composers. Over the course of his career, Deva has composed over 400 songs spanning almost all South Indian languages. His son Srikanth Deva is also a music composer.
He has also been a recipient of multiple awards like the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director, the state's highest honour, the 'Kalaimani' Award in 1992, Filmfare Kannada, and also a Guinness World Record for the film 'Sivappu Mazahi,' for being the fastest movie from script to screening.
His notable works for films include 'Vaigasi Poranthachu,' 'Vedan,' 'Raja Pandi,' 'Baashha,' 'Aasai,' among others
(This story was compiled Aaron)
