The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka D.K. Shivakumar on his death anniversary paid tribute to the great playback singer Dr. S. P. Balasubrahmanyam for his immense contribution to Indian music and to the people who listened to it in other languages and generations.
Shivakumar said Balasubrahmanyam was a “celestial singer” that brought life to thousands of songs and was a good person for music lovers.
The tribute was paid on September 25, the death anniversary of S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. The music hall great died on September 25, 2020, and died of cancer at the age of 74. His death was the end of one of the most well-known playback voices in India after more than five decades.
Balasubrahmanyam, also known as SPB or Balu, made his singing debut in 1966 in the Telugu movie Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna. He has since made an impressive career in Indian film music. His voice became familiar to Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, and many others. His ability to adapt his voice to different musical styles and cinematic situations helped him to build a huge audience in India.
SPB was versatile in one of the fundamental aspects of his career. He sang romantic melodies, emotional songs, devotional pieces, and energetic material and brought a distinct voice and expression to each performance. Music director, actor, dubbing artist, television presenter, and producer were his colleagues.
SPB got a lot of national honours too. In 2001 he received Padma Shri and in 2011 he received Padma Bhushan. His official biography mentions six National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer for performances in Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and Tamil cinema.
He was deeply connected to Kannada music as well. Balasubrahmanyam sang in many Kannada films and became a familiar and well-known figure to Kannada-speaking audiences. The National Award-winning performance for the Kannada film Gaana Yogi Panchakshara Gavai was one of the highlights of his career. His experience in South Indian cinema made him more than a singer but as a singer whose voice was more popular beyond the language where a particular song was recorded.
Shivakumar's tribute underlined the larger cultural impact of SPB. It was in remembering SPB's voice as something that enriched Indian music that the message was in effect of people who still listen to his songs after he’d died. Public figures and music organisations have paid tribute to him on his death anniversary and in the presence of those who are proud of his work as Indian popular music is very much alive.
SPB’s legacy is also being celebrated in musical programs and tributes. Music events with his music continue to bring singers and audiences together to revisit his contribution to Indian film music. A musical tribute programme organised in Bengaluru on September 26, 2026, will mark his legacy this year.
Although SPB died six years ago, his recorded music reaches new generations of listeners. His songs remain in film-music collections, streaming platforms, concerts, and cultural programmes. For many fans, his voice is closely associated with some of the most memorable moments of Indian cinema over decades.
ಅನೇಕ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅಸಂಖ್ಯಾತ ಗೀತೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಜೀವ ತುಂಬಿ ಕಲಾಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳ ಹೃದಯ ಗೆದ್ದ ಗಾನಗಂಧರ್ವ, ಪದ್ಮಭೂಷಣ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತ ಡಾ. ಎಸ್.ಪಿ. ಬಾಲಸುಬ್ರಹ್ಮಣ್ಯಂ ಅವರ ಪುಣ್ಯಸ್ಮರಣೆಯಂದು ಗೌರವಪೂರ್ವಕ ನಮನಗಳು. ತಮ್ಮ ಸುಮಧುರ ಕಂಠಸಿರಿಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಸಂಗೀತ ಲೋಕವನ್ನು ಶ್ರೀಮಂತಗೊಳಿಸಿದ ಅವರ ದಿವ್ಯ ಧ್ವನಿ ಎಂದೆಂದಿಗೂ ಅಮರ. pic.twitter.com/cxdzHIDndj
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) September 25, 2026
D.K. Shivakumar’s tribute is in his opinion a tribute to an artist who crossed language and cultural boundaries and whose career is not limited to Telugu filmmaking. Also, from his early career as a movie director in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, and many other Indian language films to music in other movies, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam would have a musical legacy and it is still remembered and celebrated today.
As music lovers celebrate his death anniversary, SPB's contribution remains closely linked with the timeless quality of his voice, his versatility, and his ability to bring emotion to songs. His recordings are still with us, ensuring that the celebrated singer's musical legacy remains part of India's cultural memory.
