Krishnaraj Ramasamy, the Tamil playback singer whose folk-flavoured numbers became a familiar part of 1990s film music, died on October 22, 2026, at a private hospital in Chennai. He was 75. Media reports say he had been dealing with health-related problems, though the cause of death had not been confirmed at the time. His remains were taken to his hometown, Vembadithalam in Salem district, for the final rites.
The timing makes it a double loss
His passing comes only five days after music composer Deva died on October 17, 2026. The two were career-long collaborators, and Deva recorded what would have been Krishnaraj’s first film song for Adhikaalai Subavelai. That project never reached theatres, but the association did not stop there. Across the 1990s and 2000s, the duo kept working on Tamil film songs that still get revisited.
Condolences have come from across the Tamil film and music world. Thalapathy Vijay, Sarathkumar, Sujatha Mohan and Anuradha Sriram are among those reported to have paid tribute. The closeness of the two losses has made this feel less like two separate farewells and more like the end of a shared musical chapter.
The songs to remember
If the name Krishnaraj is trending, the songs are the context. Two tracks anchor his legacy:
- Vellarikka Pinju Vellarikka from Kadhal Kottai (1996), the upbeat folk track that put him before a wider Tamil film audience.
- Thanjavooru Mannu Eduthu from Porkkaalam (1997), a soulful number that earned him state accolades.
- Further collaborations on films including Nenjinile, Lovely, Jai Surya and Gokulathil Seethai.
From handloom to playback
Krishnaraj was born on December 25, 1951, in Vembadithalam, a weaving town in Salem district. Before playback singing, he worked as a traditional handloom weaver. Music began close to home: he sang at village temple festivals, played with local light-music groups, and learned instruments locally. Eventually he moved to Chennai to try for a career in cinema.
That journey is why the tributes emphasise craft as much as fame. For audiences who grew up on 1990s Tamil film soundtracks, his voice is tied to a particular period: folk melody and film orchestration sitting close together. Losing both Krishnaraj and Deva within one week closes a small but real chapter of that sound.
What to listen for
The quickest way to understand the tributes is to go to the songs themselves. Start with the energy of Vellarikka Pinju Vellarikka, then move to the quieter pull of Thanjavooru Mannu Eduthu. The contrast shows the range he was trusted with, and why the Deva-Krishnaraj pairing kept finding an audience. For a newer listener, that two-song arc is a better introduction than any list of credits.
Source: PINKVILLA
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