Tamil Composer Deva Dies at 75 After Cardiac Arrest in Chennai

Tamil film music composer Deva died on Saturday morning at a private hospital in Kodambakkam, Chennai. He was 75. His son Srikanth Deva told reporters that the death followed a cardiac arrest. Hospital sources said he arrived without a pulse and that resuscitation efforts failed. He had been admitted around 8:30 a.m.

Born Devanesan Chokkalingam on 20 November 1950 in Mylapore, Deva worked in the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department and later composed for Doordarshan before entering cinema. He made his debut with Manasukketha Maharaasaa in 1989 and gained wider notice with Vaigasi Poranthachu in 1990. Over nearly four decades he scored more than 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. He wrote and sang many of his own numbers.

Deva is credited with carrying Chennai's gaana style into commercial cinema. The raw, street-derived form became a signature element of his work. He supplied the title-card music that has introduced Rajinikanth films since Annamalai in 1992, a motif still used in recent releases. Other well-known scores include Baashha, Arunachalam, Kadhal Kottai, Kushi and Panchathanthiram. Naan Autokaaran became an anthem for autorickshaw drivers.

Rajinikanth arrived at Deva's T Nagar residence in tears to pay respects. Kamal Haasan called him a dear brother. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who worked with Deva early in his acting career, announced that the funeral will be held with full state honours. Vijay wrote that Deva captivated ordinary people with his folk songs and that his work will remain in the history of film music. Other political leaders and film figures also visited.

Deva's brothers Sabesh and Murali also worked in music, and his son Srikanth Deva is an established composer. The family has not yet released a full schedule for the rites beyond the state-honours announcement. The body is being kept at the T Nagar residence for public homage.