Popular singer and Padma Bhushan awardee Vani Jayaram, who won the hearts of crores of music lovers and aficionados across the country with her mellifluous voice, passed away at her residence in Chennai on Saturday, 4 February. She was 77.
Police sources said the singer is believed to have slipped and fallen in her bedroom, resulting in an injury to her forehead.
The veteran singer, who has delivered several chartbusters, has sung a whopping 10,000-plus songs in 19 languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Odiya, and Hindi.
From a banker to singer
Vani Jayaram, who gave up her banking career with the State Bank of India to turn a full-time singer, was born in Vellore, Tamil Nadu as Kalaivani to classically trained musicians Duraisamy Iyengar and Padmavathi.
She was the fifth daughter of the couple and underwent extensive training in Carnatic music from Kadalur Srinivas Iyengar, TR Balasubramanian, and RS Mani.
Vani Jayaram, who has won the National Award for Best Female Playback Singer thrice, won it twice for her songs in Telugu films — Sankarabharanam, Swathikiranam — and once for a Tamil film, Apoorva Ragangal.
She has also won the Best Female Playback singer state awards from several states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Odisha.
5 songs in Sankarabharanam
Known for her ability to deliver extremely difficult compositions with commendable ease and command, Vani Jayaram shot to fame in Hindi with the number Bole Re Papi Hara from the film Guddi in 1971.
Soon after, she became popular in Telugu and Tamil cinema as well, belting out chartbuster after chartbuster.
Her contribution to both Telugu and Tamil cinema music is extensive. The ace singer, who delivered her first Telugu song in the film Abhimanavanthulu, soon became a household name in the region with the release of the cult classic Sankarabharanam, in which she sang five songs.
In Tamil, Vani Jayaram shot to fame with the superhit number Malligai En Mannan Mayangum from the film Theerga Sumangali in 1974. The film had music by MS Viswanathan.
Apart from film music, Vani Jayaram is also known for having sung for several private and devotional albums.
It is with utmost shock& disbelief I heard about the sudden passing away of Vani amma. Spoke to her just two days back. A true legend. A very versatile & multi lingual singer with strong classical foundation. May her soul rest in peace. 💐💐😔#VaniJayaram #KSChithra pic.twitter.com/M3xSYvla2I
— K S Chithra (@KSChithra) February 4, 2023
Terrible news coming in.. we have lost yet another gem.#VaniJayaram ji is no more amongst us. A voice that has enthralled us for many years has left us heartbroken. Her sweet and gentle nature was so evident in her voice. You will always be remembered amma.
Om Shanti 🙏🙏#RIP pic.twitter.com/mHU2XNuPWj— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) February 4, 2023
This is so shocking #vanijayaram,just last night I was playing her song and telling my husband how beautifully she was rendering the song in #KVishwanath sirs film.
I am so shocked.— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa) February 4, 2023
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Sri YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed grief and shock over the demise of Smt Vani Jayaram, the rare and puritan version of classical music.
— CMO Andhra Pradesh (@AndhraPradeshCM) February 4, 2023
Stalin condoles death
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was among those who condoled the death of singer Vani Jayaram.
In his condolence message, Stalin said that the demise of the veteran singer was an irreparable loss to the world of music.
Expressing his condolences to the family and fans of the singer, he said he had congratulated her recently soon after getting to know that she would be one of the recipients of the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of the country.
However, the chief minister said the news of the singer’s demise before receiving the honour was one that had brought him great sorrow.
