Veteran playback singer T M Soundararajan passes away

Chennai: Veteran Tamil playback singer T M Soundararajan passed away at his residence here today following a brief illness, family sources said. The 91 year-old singer, who was the numero uno choice of Tamil cinema icons M G Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan, was not keeping well for sometime and had recently undergone treatment for breathlessness, they said. Soundararajan is survived by his wife and two sons. Often hailed as the `uncrowned king` of Tamil cinema, TMS, as Sounderarajan was fondly addressed, had rendered over 5,000 cinema and devotional songs and had been awarded various honours including the Padmashri and the state government`s `Kalaimamani`. A highly respected singer hailing from Madurai, Soundarajan had last sung in the theme song of the World Classical Tamil Conference in 2010, composed by A R Rahman. TMS was also known for his soul-stirring devotional songs, especially on Lord Muruga, with his most famous `Ullam uruguthayya` (The heart melts) instantly evoking devotion even today. He had also starred in some films. But Soundararajan dominated the playback scene for nearly four decades in which he almost sang for all leading heroes of Tamil cinema. PTI