CHENNAI: Renowned playback singer Vani Jairam was cremated with police gun salute at Besant Nagar on Sunday afternoon. Chief Minister MK Stalin paid floral tributes to the deceased at her residence on Haddows Road in Nungambakkam in the morning. Several film personalities and political leaders reached the house and paid their last respects.
Addressing media persons later, Stalin said the people of Tamil Nadu and the film industry are in shock after hearing about Vani Jairam’s demise. “Born in Vellore in 1945, she had gone on to sing over 10,000 songs in 19 languages. Recently, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan but she breathed her last before accepting the award. I express my condolence to her family and film fraternity,” he added.
Police rule out foul play
The city police have ruled out foul play regarding the death. An officer who is part of the investigation team said the postmortem report notes that her death might have occurred due to an accidental fall. “There is no sign of forced entry into the house, and the residence was locked from inside. There is no suspicion of foul play,” the officer added.
Stalin condoles death of filmmaker TP Gajendran
Chief Minister MK Stalin also paid his last respects to director and actor TP Gajendran, who was also the former’s college friend, at his residence on Sunday. In his message, Stalin expressed shock and sorrow over the demise.
“He was not just the director of famous movies like Kavalkaran and Paandi Naatu Thangam, he has acted in many movies and contributed greatly to the art industry. I visited him when he took ill in November 2021. His demise causes me great pain,” he said. Stalin also expressed his deep condolences to Gajendran’s family, the film fraternity and his fans.