THRISSUR: Singer KK’s close relatives in Thrissur are struggling to overcome the shock of his demise.
Though KK( Krishnakumar Kunnath) was born and brought up in Delhi, his paternal and maternal houses are in Thrissur. His father C S Menon is the brother of C L B Menon, a prominent cultural activist.
According to cousin Ramesh Menon, KK was a self-taught singer. “He shot to fame through hard work. And he was always the pride of our family,” he said.
Ramesh learnt of the popular singer’s death through a WhatsApp message from a family member. “From the moment I received the message, I tried contacting his sister and mother, but couldn’t. We are awaiting further information from someone there,” he said.
The family members said KK used to roam around Thrissur whenever he came to the city for vacation. In 1990, he married Jyothi, a Palakkad native settled in Mumbai, in Guruvayur.
“He loved Kerala food and visited temples with grandparents and other cousins,” Ramesh recalled. Another cousin, Latha Menon pointed out that KK did not have any bad habit, like smoking or drinking. Music was always his passion, she added.
According to his relatives, KK last visited Thrissur around three years ago for a marriage. Born on August 23, 1968, in Delhi, Krishnakumar began his career by singing jingles for advertisements. His album ‘Pal’ -launched in 1999, became popular, and eventually, he evolved into one of the finest singers in the country.
He lent his voice to famous Hindi songs like ‘Tadap Tadap’ from the movie ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, ‘Dola Re Dola’ from ‘Devdas’, ‘Aankhon Me Teri’ from ‘Om Shanti Om’, and ‘Khuda Jane’ from ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’. He also sang in Malayalam for the Prithviraj-starrer ‘Puthiyamukham’, singing ‘Rahasyamay’.