’S Janaki is well and healthy’: Rumours of singer’s death are false

Social media rumours of singer S Janaki’s death are false, Tamil film music director Dhina clarified on Sunday. In a statement shared with the media, the music director quelled the rumours which surfaced on social media on Sunday.

“I just spoke to SP Balasubrahmanyam anna. He reached out to Janaki amma. She sounded well and healthy. She had shared, in jest, that people have killed her six times in the past, by spreading such rumours. I kindly request everyone to not share such unverified rumours. Kindly spread my word,” Dhina said.

Janaki’s son Murali, too, put the rumours of her death to rest by clarifying to television channels that his mother is very much alive.

Earlier in the day, a flurry of social media posts had fuelled speculation of the singer Janaki’s death

News about S. Janaki amma ??

— GKavitha (@gkavith) June 28, 2020

Rip #janaki amma

— Santhosh kumar (@sk2287425) June 28, 2020

This is not the first time rumours of Janaki’s death have surfaced on social media. In 2016, similar rumours had come up at the time she announced her retirement from singing with the Malayalam song ‘Amma Poovinum’.

On that occasion too, it was fellow singer SP Balasubramanyam who clarified the rumours by checking with Janaki. 

The singer’s association with S P Balasubrahmanyam and composer Ilaiyaraaja is well documented.

Read: How a story on singer S Janaki’s retirement turned into a death hoax

Janaki is a playback singer from Andhra Pradesh. She is one of the best-known playback singers in India and has sung over 48,000 songs in as many as 17 different languages. Starting in 1957 with the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu, her career has spanned over six decades.

The veteran singer has also won four National Awards and 32 state film awards.

In 2017, the singer performed in her last concert in Mysuru in Karnataka at the Mysuru Vishwavidhyanilaya, the venue where she began her singing career in 1952.