Stories
Veteran Tamil Music Director Deva Passes Away At 75
N
News18•17-10-2026, 12:55
Veteran Tamil Music Director Deva Passes Away At 75
- •Renowned Tamil music director Deva passed away at a private hospital in Chennai at the age of 75 on Saturday.
- •He scored music for over 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, including blockbusters like Baasha and Annamalai.
- •Affectionately known as 'Thenisai Thendral', Deva is credited with introducing the popular Gaana music genre to mainstream cinema.
- •He made his debut in 1986 with Maatukaara Mannaru and won the prestigious Kalaimamani Award from the Tamil Nadu government.
- •His son Srikanth Deva is a prominent music director and his nephew Jai is a popular actor in the Tamil film industry.
Key Questions Answered
Veteran Tamil music director Deva passed away at the age of 75 at Surya hospital in Kodambakkam after failing to respond to treatment for health issues on Saturday. He had previously undergone a bypass surgery nearly 10 years ago.
Deva introduced Gaana songs to Tamil cinema to carve out a distinct musical identity for himself while competing against dominant composers Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman, whose styles his own compositions risked resembling.
Deva scored music for over 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, including major blockbusters starring Rajinikanth such as 'Annamalai', 'Arunachalam', and 'Baasha'.
