The singer reportedly collapsed while performing at a concert at Nazrul Manch in Kolkata. He was brought dead at Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at around 10:30pm.
Singer KK, who gave Indian music lovers many hits over the last three decades has died at 53. He gave a performance at Nazrul Mancha on Tuesday and later went to his hotel where he fell ill. He was brought to a hospital where he was declared dead.
Minister Arup Biswas said about KK's death, “Singer Anupam Roy called me up and said he is hearing something bad from the hospital. Then I contacted the hospital. They said he was brought dead. Then I rushed to the hospital.”
KK released his first album, Pal in 1999. The singer-composer, whose real name was Krishnakumar Kunnath then focussed more on Bollywood than on his independent music, giving hits such as Tadap Tadap (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, 1999), Dus Bahane (Dus, 2005), and Tune Maari Entriyaan (Gunday, 2014).
He was born in Delhi and was also known for his electric live shows. His Instagram page had been sharing updates from his concert in Kolkata as recently as eight hours ago.
Krishnakumar Kunnath, whose stage name was KK, was known for songs like 'Pal' and 'Yaaron', which went on to become big hits among teens in the late 1990s, often heard during school and college farewells and teen cultural events.
His 1999 debut album Pal was critically acclaimed. From the early 2000s, he blazed a career in playback singing and recorded a wide range of popular songs for Bollywood films.
KK has recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali, among other languages.
Political leaders, actors and fans tweeted condolences.
"Saddened by the untimely demise of noted singer Krishnakumar Kunnath popularly known as KK. His songs reflected a wide range of emotions as struck a chord with people of all age groups. We will always remember him through his songs. Condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
"Extremely sad and shocked to know of the sad demise of KK. What a loss! Om Shanti," actor Akshay Kumar tweeted.