Mysuru | Veteran playback singer S Janaki died at a private hospital here on Saturday due to age-related ailments, family sources said.
She was 88 years old.
According to sources, she developed breathing issues last night and was subsequently admitted to the hospital.
Known for her versatility, Janaki recorded over 48,000 songs in multiple languages, predominantly the South Indian languages of Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
Over a career spanning six decades, she sang for films, albums, television and radio in about 20 Indian languages, including Hindi, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali.
Sharing the news on behalf of the family, her granddaughter Apsara Vydyula, in an Instagram post, said, “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.
Janaki was born on April 23, 1938, in Pallapatla, Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh.
Fondly known as “Janaki amma” among her disciples and followers, she was regarded as the “Nightingale of South India”.
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 most songs in her career in Kannada. Her duets with legends such as P B Srinivas, S P Balasubrahmanyam and Dr Rajkumar are considered evergreen hits.
Fans in Karnataka called her “Gaana Kogile”. She also sang songs in English, Japanese, German and Sinhala.
Janaki won four National Film Awards and 33 different 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, the third-highest civilian award of the Government of India, saying it came too late. Janaki had also expressed that she deserved the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, for her contributions to music.
Her son, Murali Krishna, passed away on January 22 this year.
Expressing shock over Janaki's death, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, in a post on X, said, “Through her golden voice, Janaki amma had 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.
Bengaluru | Legendary playback singer S Janaki leaves behind a rich musical legacy, having recorded over 48,000 songs during an illustrious career spanning more than six decades.
Born on April 23, 1938, at Pallapatla in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district, Janaki first performed on stage at the age of nine.
She began her professional playback singing career in 1957, at the age of 19, with the Tamil film 'Vidhiyin Vilayattu'. In the same year, she recorded songs in six different languages.
Fondly known as "Janaki Amma" and celebrated as the "Nightingale of South India", she sang in nearly 20 Indian languages — among them Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Bengali—over a career spanning more than 60 years, besides lending her voice to foreign-language songs in Japanese and German.
She collaborated with some of India's most celebrated music composers across languages, such as Ilaiyaraaja, M S Viswanathan, A R Rahman, K V Mahadevan and R D Burman, among others.
Janaki shared a particularly successful association with Ilaiyaraaja, delivering several memorable songs composed by him — "Senthoora Poove", "Inji Idupazhagi", "Kaatril Enthan Geetham" and "Oru Sanam" in Tamil; "Jotheyali" and "I Love You (Jeeva Hoovagide)" in Kannada; and "Aayiram Kannumayi" in Malayalam.
Though she was highly popular in other South Indian languages, Janaki is said to have sung the most songs in her career in Kannada.
Her duets with legends such as P B Srinivas, S P Balasubrahmanyam and Dr Rajkumar are considered evergreen hits.
Janaki had famously cited the Kannada song “Shiva Shiva Ennada Naaligeyeke” from the film Hemavathi (1977), composed by L Vaidyanathan, as the most difficult of her career.
Fans in Karnataka called her “Gaana Kogile” (Singing Cuckoo).
Renowned for her exceptional vocal versatility, she could effortlessly adapt her voice to suit a range of characters and emotions, including rendering songs in a child's voice, earning her the reputation as the “Queen of Expression and Modulation”.
During her distinguished career, Janaki won four National Film Awards and 33 State Film Awards, besides several other honours. She was also conferred the Rajyotsava Prashasti by the Karnataka government.
In 2013, she declined the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, saying the honour had come too late. She had maintained that her contribution to Indian music merited the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour.
After the passing of her husband, V Ramprasad, in 1997, Janaki embraced a simple, elegant style — plain white or uncoloured sarees becoming her quiet, enduring signature for the rest of her life.
Janaki announced her retirement from playback singing and stage performances in 2016 at the age of 78, though she later recorded a song for the Tamil film 'Pannaadi' in 2018.
With a voice that transcended linguistic and regional boundaries, she remains one of India's most accomplished and revered playback singers, whose songs continue to resonate across generations.
