Tamil film composer Deva dies at 75 in Chennai

Veteran Tamil film music composer and playback singer Deva, popularly known as 'Thenisai Thendral' (Sweet Music Breeze), died on Saturday, October 17, 2026, aged 75, in Chennai. He was admitted that morning to a private hospital in Kodambakkam after suddenly developing health complications and later succumbed, reportedly to a heart attack. Across a four-decade career Deva composed music for more than 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, and was particularly celebrated for his iconic Rajinikanth title-card themes, as well as being the father of music director Srikanth Deva and playback singer Mallika. He was honoured with the Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani award and the State Film Award for Best Music Director. Following his death, the Tamil Nadu government announced that he would be laid to rest with full State honours, and figures from across South Indian cinema and the music industry publicly paid tribute. The story dominated Indian entertainment coverage during the day, with onmanorama.com, The Week, India TV News, DT Next and other major outlets running the obituary as their lead cultural item.