KK passes away: West Bengal government to honour late singer with a gun salute at Kolkata airport

A day after the untimely passing of singer KK, the West Bengal government announced that a gun salute would be given at the Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra airport in his honour.

According to India Today, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was at a district booth meeting in Bankura, said she would fly to Kolkata by air if the weather permitted her to attend the gun salute tribute.

Krishnakumar Kunnath, who went by the stage name KK, died hours after a live performance in the city’s Nazrul Manch auditorium. The 53-year-old was rushed to Calcutta Medical Research Institute where he was declared dead on arrival.

Videos of the performance have been circulating on the internet, where he can be seen sweating profusely on stage. Concertgoers have testified online that the venue was overcrowded and had poor ventilation, which could have led to his collapse and consequent death. The Kolkata Police have also filed a case of “unnatural death.”

Also read — We miss you KK: From getting his Bollywood break with Tadap Tadap to performing live for millions, a look back at the soulful singer's musical life 

Scroll writes that while the hospital’s doctors suspect a cardiac arrest, the police will conduct a post-mortem inquiry today to narrow down the exact cause.

A police officer spoke about the singer’s condition right after the concert with news agency PTI and said, “The singer had allowed a couple of fan followers to take photos with him, but then he refused to carry on with the selfie session. He left the lobby and then went upstairs where he had reportedly stumbled and fallen on the floor. People who were with him informed the hotel authorities.”

The fall reportedly resulted in the singer sustaining two injuries – one on his head and the other on his lip.

Also read — KK dies at 53: Shreya Ghoshal to Shankar Mahadevan, singers across India express grief over his untimely demise 

The news shocked his fans that range from India to across the globe, who remembered him for his versatile voice. KK has sung many memorable songs in his illustrious career, not just in Hindi but also Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali, and other languages.