Well-known Kerala violinist B Balabhaskar, who was seriously injured in a road accident last week, died early yesterday, hospital authorities said. He was 40.
Doctors at Ananthapuri Hospital said they did their best to save Balabhaskar.
On Monday evening, the musician’s condition showed some improvement but it was short-lived, a doctor said. He failed to recover after suffering a massive cardiac arrest.
Thousands of people gathered at the University of Kerala campus, Balabhaskar’s alma mater, when his body was taken there for them to pay their last respects.
Balabhaskar and his family met with an accident last week, and his two-year-old daughter Tejaswi died on the spot. His wife Lakshmi is on ventilator support in hospital.
They were returning after a visit to a temple in Thrissur. His car rammed a tree on the highway near here around 4.30am. His driver also suffered grievous injuries.
The mourners at the University College included Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues. Many of his friends, including singer-composer Jassie Gift, wept.
Vijayan described Balabhaskar as a rising star in music and said his death had caused a huge void.
“He was immensely talented and it helped him establish himself in the music industry quite early in his life. But the accident took his life as well as that of their daughter, leaving all his well-wishers in sadness,” Vijayan said.
Balu, as he is popularly known, became the youngest composer in Malayalam film industry at 17, with the film Mangalya Pakkakk.
But he chose to concentrate on public performance and earned a huge fan following with his magical violin that mesmerised them.
Many celebrities took to Twitter to express their shock, grief and disbelief. They also shared recordings of his scintillating performance on stage.
“Devastating News!” wrote percussionist Sivamani. “India has lost a Gem ..... Sad to hear the passing of THE MOST talented violinist in the country.”
“Devastated after hearing this news! So so unfair,” added singer Sankar Mahadevan.
Veteran singer K J Yesudas termed Balabhaskar’s passing away as a huge loss.
“It’s not just a huge loss but an irreparable one. He had an inborn talent as was evident from what he did in his career, that too very early.”
Minister for Culture and Cinema A K Balan said it was difficult to believe that the musician was no more. “I doubt if there was any Keralite, at such a young age, who left thousands spellbound with his talent.”
Meanwhile, in another tragedy for the Malayalam movie industry, veteran producer and director Thampi Kannanthanam died at a hospital near Kochi after several days of illness. He was 65.
A multi-faceted film personality, Kannanthanam was a hugely successful and celebrated director and often regarded as the one who took Mohanlal to his career high in Rajavinte Makan in 1986.