Veteran playback singer S. Janaki, affectionately known as the ‘Nightingale of South India,’ passed away on Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Mysuru, Karnataka. She was 88 years old.
Janaki was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Mysuru in the early hours of Saturday following health complications related to age. Despite intensive medical care and monitoring by a multidisciplinary team, her condition deteriorated, and she experienced multiple cardiac arrests. Doctors declared her deceased around 7:30 PM on July 11, 2026. The Karnataka government announced that her last rites would be conducted with full state honors, recognizing her significant cultural contribution.
Her mortal remains were placed for public viewing at Maharaja’s College Grounds in Mysuru, allowing fans, artists, and dignitaries to pay their final respects. Security and traffic diversions were in place around the venue to manage the large crowds.
Born Sistla Sreeramamurthy Janaki on April 23, 1938, in Andhra Pradesh, she began her musical journey at a young age, making her stage debut at nine. She moved to Chennai and made her playback debut in 1957 with the Tamil film ‘Vidhiin Vilaiyaattu’ and the Telugu film ‘M.L.A.’ Her career spanned over six decades, during which she recorded an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 songs in more than 17 languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. She was renowned for her versatility, seamlessly singing romantic melodies, devotional songs, folk numbers, lullabies, and classical compositions with equal ease.
Janaki was celebrated for her exceptional vocal control and expressive singing, earning her the title ‘Queen of Expression and Modulation.’ She delivered numerous memorable duets with legendary singers such as S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and K.J. Yesudas, and collaborated with iconic music composers including Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman. Her contributions were recognized with four National Film Awards and 33 State Film Awards. Mysore University also conferred an honorary doctorate upon her.
The legendary singer retired from playback singing in 2017 and had been living in Mysuru. Her passing has prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes from across the Indian film industry and political circles. Chief Ministers of various states, including Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala and N. Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh, along with prominent actors like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, and Chiranjeevi, paid homage to her. Many described her as a once-in-a-generation artist whose voice transcended language and region.
Her personal life included marriage to V. Ramprasad in 1959, who passed away in 1997. The couple had a son, Murali Krishna, who died in January 2026, a loss that deeply affected Janaki. She is survived by her granddaughter, Apsara Vydyula, who announced her grandmother’s peaceful passing.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
