RIP KK: Ritabhari to Saswata Chatterjee, Tollywood mourns singer's untimely death

Singer KK, who passed away following a heart attack on May 31, debuted in the Bengali playback scene in 2011 with a Jeet Gannguli composition for the film, Faande Poriya Boga Kaande Re. Last night, the singer collapsed just hours after performing for a live audience in Kolkata.

From musicians to actors and directors from the Bengali entertainment industry expressed their grief over his untimely demise.

Composer Jeet Gannguli, KK’s long-term friend, could not control tears as he entered the hospital on Tuesday night. “He was a friend and a rockstar. He was a foodie who used to request my wife to cook biryani and shorshe bata. KK, Shaan, Sonu (Nigam) and I have been friends for ages. In fact, KK and I were supposed to get back to Mumbai together in two days. I wanted to go to the concert but could not. I cannot believe he is gone,” he told OTTplay.

Actress Ritabhari Chakraborty took to Instagram and wrote, “For 90s kids - he was the ultimate rockstar. I grew up listening to him. All my friends did too. “Yaaron dosti” was the song we sang together in our school uniforms, “Ajab si” was the first song my high school boyfriend dedicated to me, “Alvida” was the tune i gulped down my tears listening to when i had gotten my heart broken for the first time… (sic)”

Quoting the lyrics from KK’s iconic number, Pal, actor Saswata Chatterjee wrote, “The man with the golden voice. Rest in peace KK.”

Last year, KK recorded a song for director Aniruddha Roychowdhury’s upcoming film, Lost, which features Yami Gautam in the lead. “On the day of recording, KK jammed with us. I told him that Lut Geye is one of my favourite songs and he sang that for me. I cannot believe that he is no more,” Aniruddha told OTTplay.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police has registered a case of unnatural death over the singer's demise. Following the concert, it was reported that the singer complained of uneasiness. He was taken to a city hospital from his hotel, where he was declared dead on arrival. The case has been lodged at New Market Police Station – the jurisdictional police station of the hotel area, according to sources.