KK cremated; family and friends bid a teary farewell | UPDATES

Singer KK (53) was cremated in the presence of family and friends on Thursday.

Read full story here

Ambulance carrying the mortal remains of KK arrives at the cremation ground for the final rites.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali recalled working with KK, saying: "I remember composer Ismail Durbar had come to me with the song 'Tadap Tadap Ke', it was in KK's voice. Normally scratch recordings (sample recordings) are done in temporary voices. But when I heard the song, my first response was, 'Oh my God! What a voice? Who is this? Where did you find him?'"

READ MORE: Sanjay Leela Bhansali recalls how he was floored by KK's 'Tadap Tadap Ke' scratch recording

Ambulance starts leaving with the mortal remains of KK. It will go to the crematorium where the final rites will take place.

KK had a major blockage in the left main coronary artery and small blockages in various other arteries and sub-arteries. Excessive excitement during the live show caused stoppage of blood flow leading to cardiac arrest that claimed his life, a doctor revealed.

READ FULL REPORT HERE

Speaking to IndiaTV about the late singer KK, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit said, "KK was not only a great artist but also a good person. There is a wave of mourning in the whole country. Every person in the country used to connect with KK."

Shreya Ghoshal reached KK's residence in Versova to pay her last respects to the singer. Speaking to IndiaTV she said, "With the departure of KK, a vacuum has been created in Bollywood that no one can fill. It was KK's fresh and new voice that connected with the youngsters.

Singer Hariharan arrived at KK’s residence to pay a last tribute. 

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "Mera chhota Bhaiyaa. Hum saath aaye thay dilli se. Humara pehla break pehli film pehli kaamyaabi ek saath- MAACHIS 
(Chhodh aaye hum wo galiyan. He also sang the 2nd music in Lata ji’s pani pani re) Anginat lamhe.. anginat yaadein.. Bepanah dard.. Bichhdey sabhee baari baari.."

Singer Ankit Tiwari shared a video of KK and wrote, "He said “mai mar jaau yahin pe” and the shitty thing happened there. Can’t believe this Om shanti."

Taking to Twitter, Nikhil Alva wrote, "KK & I were friends in our youth - a band of Delhi boys, bonded by music.  He was kind, soft spoken & had a wonderful sense of humour. In 1989, our band played in Pyongyang, N. Korea! The pics are from that trip. Rest in peace my friend. May you be forever young."

The preliminary post-mortem report of popular playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath (KK), who died on late Tuesday evening in the city, after a stage performance, has cited the cause of death to be "normal", without any trace of foul play. However, the detailed post-mortem report, along with chemical analysis, will be available only after 72 hours, said sources in Kolkata Police, which received the preliminary post mortem report on late Wednesday afternoon from the state-run SSKM Medical College & Hospital, where a team of doctors conducted the autopsy.

According to the preliminary post-mortem report, following the contracted arteries, it can be assumed that the cause of death was massive myocardial infarction. However, the exact cause of death can be ascertained only after the final report is available.

Several videos of KK from his last concert in Kolkata have gone viral on the internet. Some showed the singer 'sweating profusely' during his performance while there were others in which KK was seen wiping his face with a towel and complaining about the air conditioning not working in the venue.

read more: KK's fan reveals singer was 'sweating profusely' as AC wasn’t working. Watch heartbreaking videos

Question is being raised by a section of the city-based physicians on why KK was not rushed to the hospital directly from Nazrul Manch, especially after he complained of uneasiness while performing at the dais there. During the show, KK asked for switching off the high-voltage spotlights and also took a rest for some time in between going backstage.

Questions are also being raised about the mismanagement in crowd handling at Nazrul Manch on Tuesday evening, where overcrowd of double the capacity of the venue entered, that might have created suffocation. Already a political slugfest has started over this issue.

His family informed that the last rites will be held in Mumbai at Versova cremation ground today. It will take place in the presence of close family and friends at Versova Hindu Cemetery at 1 pm.

The final viewing of the playback singer will take place today at Park Plaza in Mumbai from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.

He is best known for his songs like 'Zindagi Do Pal Ki' from the movie Kites, 'Aankhon Mein Teri' from the movie 'Om Shanti Om', 'Khuda Jaane' from the movie 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', 'Tadap Tadap' from the movie 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' among others.

read more: KK passes away at 53: Did you know singer's last Bollywood song was for Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone?

Born in New Delhi to C S Menon and Kunnath Kanakavalli on August 23, 1968, KK was an alumnus of Delhi's Mount St Mary's School. Following his college, KK reportedly had a short stint as a marketing associate in the hotel industry after which he shifted to Mumbai to pursue a career in music.

KK was in Kolkata for a concert and just shortly after performing he collapsed and was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead, on Tuesday.