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<\/p>\nKK, a popular Indian playback singer and songwriter with more than 300 film and TV credits, died Tuesday of cardiac arrest in Kolkata, shortly after performing a concert. He was 53.<\/p>\n
West Bengal Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Aroop Biswas said organizers of the Gurudas College Fest told authorities that KK (real name: Krishnakumar Kunnath) complained of feeling extremely cold and wanted to return to his hotel. He later was taken to Calcutta Medical Research Institute, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.<\/p>\n
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Images from Tuesday’s concert were posted on KK’s Instagram page following the performance.<\/p>\n
Among his many regional awards, KK was named Best Male Playback Singer at India’s 2009 Screen Awards for the song “Khuda Jaane,” from the film Bachna Ae Haseeno<\/em>, and shared Album of the Decade prize from the Mirchi Music Awards for the Aashiqui 2 <\/em>soundtrack. He also was a five-time nominee at the Awards of the International Indian Film Academy and four-time nominee at the Filmfare Awards.<\/p>\n Playback singers are those whose vocals are pre-recorded for use in films and TV and do not appear onscreen.<\/p>\n KK released a pair of studio albums — 1999’s Pal <\/em>and 2008’s Humsafar — <\/em>and appeared on numerous compilation discs. He also appeared as a judge or mentor on the singing competition series Indian Idol Junior <\/em>and Fame Gurukul <\/em>and performed in a 2014 episode of MTV Unplugged India.<\/em><\/p>\n August 23, 1968, in Delhi, KK began his career doing commercial jingles before his big-screen debut in the mid-1990s.<\/p>\n He survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.<\/p>\n India Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences today:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\nMust Read Stories<\/h2>\n
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