Family to build memorial for Singer SB Balasubramaniam, says son Charan

Addressing the media, SP Charan, son of veteran singer SP Balasubrahmaniam said that he has planned to build a grand memorial for his late father, with his means. He said that he would share updates in due course, adding that the family is also working with local authorities to make temporary arrangements at the singer’s resting place, for visitors to pay their respects. He had addressed the media to quell various rumors that were doing the rounds pertaining to the hospitalization and subsequent demise of the multiple-national award winning singer. 

Making an appeal that their family was still in grief, unable to recover from the loss, Charan requested people to refrain from spreading rumors on the unfortunate demise of his father and the treatment procedures at the hospital. Speaking on the misinformation that was circulated regarding the hospital bills, he said that the family had been making payments every week and that the insurance had covered one portion. He added that, when their family asked the hospital on outstanding dues on the day of demise, the hospital did not make them pay and offered help in sending the mortal remains home. 

Charan also shared that his father was in good spirits throughout his hospitalization phase and that he used to communicate with the visitors by writing on his tablet computer or via sign language. Doctors who treated the veteran singer clarified that though he had been admitted owing to Covid-19, he had been tested negative for the virus, during the course of his treatment. However, his lungs were badly affected and could not be revived, they said.

Doctors said that infection spreading to different parts of the body, were a common consequence of long-term use of ECMO and ventilator support. “48 hours before demise we noticed signs of severe infection and he also failed to respond to antibiotics, which led to an increase in the infection” the Doctors said.

Veteran playback Singer and multiple-national award winner SP Balasubrahmanyam, regarded the voice of generations of India’s leading cinema heroes, breathed his last at 1:04pm on Friday, at a private hospital in Chennai, after battling severe Covid-19 pneumonia and complications for over 50 days. The initial announcement of his passing was made to the media, by his son SP Charan, at the gates of the hospital, following which the hospital released a bulletin stating that he suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest. 

SPB was laid to rest on Saturday, at their family farmhouse in Thamaraipakkam, on the outskirts of Chennai, in the presence of thousands of fans who had come to pay their respects.