Malayalam Singer Edava Basheer Collapses On Stage, Dies At 78

Music lovers in Kerala mourned the death of popular playback singer Edava Basheer, who collapsed on stage at a music event held in Alappuzha.

Edava Basheer collapsed while performing at the event, on Saturday night, to mark the 50th anniversary of a popular music troupe, Bhima's Blue Diamond Orchestra.

Political leaders and film industry expressed condolences on the death of the 78-year-old singer.

"The demise of Edava Basheer, who played an important role in popularising 'ganamela', is a huge loss to the music world," Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said in his condolence message.

Playback singer K S Chitra took to Twitter and expressed condolences on his death. In Malayalam, she tweeted, "Tributes to singer Edawa Basheer." Fans of the singer took to social media to express their tributes.

Edava Basheer was performing the Hindi song 'Mano ho tum' but collapsed on the stage at the end of the song. Even though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead, sources said.

Edava Basheer had sung many movie songs but was known for his stage performances at various temples across the state. His funeral was held at Kadappakada Juma Masjid on Sunday.