Tamil singer Uma Ramanan passes away in Chennai

Tamil singer Uma Ramanan, known for her collaboration with Ilaiyaraaja, passed away on May 1 in Chennai at the age of 69. The cause of her death remains unknown. She is survived by her singer-husband AV Ramanan and son Vignesh Ramanan. Her funeral details are awaited.

Uma Ramanan enjoyed a successful career spanning over three decades, starting with the song ‘Mohanan Kannan Murali’ for the movie ‘Sri Krishna Leela’ in 1977.

Trained in classical music under Pazhani Vijaylaksmi, Uma's collaboration with AV Ramanan began when he was seeking talented singers for his stage shows. Their partnership extended to both professional and personal life, leading to marriage. However, it was her song ‘Poongathave Chocha Thakavai’ from the musical in Nizhalgal, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, that catapulted her to fame in the Tamil film industry. She collaborated with many composers, including MSV, Shankar-Ganesh, T Rajender, Deva, SA Rajkumar, Chili, Mani Sharma, Srikanth Deva, and Vidyasagar. Uma and AV Ramanan also sang a song for the Hindi film Playboy.

Fans mourned her death, sharing tributes and remembering her emotional singing.

‘Woke up to the sad news of passing away of singer Mrs Uma Ramanan. In this age of Super Singers and performers where the singers act more than they sing, here is Mrs Uma Ramanan bringing such complex emotions through her voice with zero indications on her face. What a singer! Om Shanthi Mam ,’ a fan wrote.

‘There is a word in English – Ethereal. That’s the word I would use to describe #UmaRamanan’s voice—the most delicate voice that gives us a mystique feeling. Thanks for singing those songs. Farewell. The first song that came to my mind was this from Nandu,’ added another.

Uma and Ilaiyaraaja collaborated on numerous memorable songs, such as ‘Aagava Vennilave’ from ‘Arangetra Velai’, ‘Oru Jeevan Alaithathu’ from ‘Geetanjali’, ‘Poongathave Thal Thiravai’ from ‘Nilalgal’, ‘Poopalam Isaikum’ from ‘Thambikku Entha Ooru’, ‘Nee Padhi Naan Padhi Kanne’ from ‘Keladi Kanmani’, and many others.

Also Watch | SEVENTEEN's latest album discarded in bulk on Japan's streets: ‘Feel free to take any you want’