Veteran vocalist Balamurali Krishna no more

Chennai: Veteran Carnatic music exponent M Balamurali Krishna, who enthralled music lovers for more than four decades, passed away here on Tuesday. The 86-year-old veteran was not keeping well for some time and breathed his last today at his residence here, his family sources told PTI. A highly respected figure in the field of music, Bala Murali Krishna featured in the popular national integration song "Miley Sur Mera Tumhara" in which he rendered Tamil lyrics. A crowd-puller in Carnatic music concerts, musician was also popular among Tamil audiences for his hit number "Oru Naal Pothuma" in the 1965 Sivaji Ganesan starrer "Thiruvilayadal", a mythological film. He even starred in a number of films in Tamil and Telugu. Balamurali Krishna was a Padma Vibhushan recipient and was also honoured with a number of state awards. Leading lights of Carnatic music condoled his death.