National Award-winning singer and renowned music composer Bhavatharini Raja succumbed to a prolonged illness in a private hospital in Sri Lanka on January 25. She was 47.
The singer had been undergoing treatment for liver cancer for almost half a year and only recently went to Sri Lanka for further medical care and treatment. Unfortunately, she passed away there around 5 PM.
She is the daughter of music legend Ilaiyaraaja and sister of Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja. The Ilaiyaraaja troupe, present in Sri Lanka for concerts scheduled on January 27 and 28, faced this tragic news.
Her body will be brought back to India today, January 26. The final rites will take place in Chennai.
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Bhavatharini won the National Award for Best Female Playback singer for a Tamil song from the film 'Bharathi,' titled 'Mayil Pola Ponnu Onnu' in 2001.
She made her singing debut in 1995 with 'Masthana Masthana' from the movie 'Raasaiyya,' which was composed by her father. And since then, she had sung various songs for her father and brothers. She had also sung songs for Tamil soundtrack composers Deva and Sirpy. She lent her voice to many hit songs in Tamil films like 'Kadhalukku Mariyadhai', 'Bharathi', 'Azhagi', 'Friends', 'Paa', and 'Anegan', amongst many others.
In 2002, she also dived into music composition for Revathy-directed 'Mitr, My Friend'. She then went on to compose songs for various other films. Her last music album was for the Malayalam film, 'Maayanadhi' in 2017.
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed his condolences, stating that the void created by her passing will be everlasting.
She is survived by her husband. More details about her funeral are yet to be announced.
