KK complained of uneasy feeling at heart during live show

By Our Special Correspondent

Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, died in Kolkata on Tuesday night, officials said. He was 53, and survived by wife and two children. KK performed at a concert organized by Gurudas College at Nazrul Mancha in south Kolkata for almost an hour in the evening.

It was reported that the 53-year-old was complaining of the glare of lights at the concert and was feeling uneasy, so he took a small break and went backstage.

After boarding his car, he told his secretary Hitesh Bhatt that he was feeling cold. He asked to turn off the air conditioner of the car. In the lobby of the hotel, a few fans of the singer were waiting to take selfies. But KK politely refused saying he was not feeling well," said event organizer Tochan Ghosh.

He was "feeling heavy" after reaching his hotel, and soon collapsed, officials said. He was taken to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, and he was taken to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, they said.

"KK was brought to the hospital around 10 pm. It's unfortunate that we could not treat him," a senior official of the hospital said. KK was declared dead on arrival at the private CMRI hospital in Alipore around 10.45 pm. The singer's wife and son have reportedly taken the morning flight to Kolkata.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her grief over the sudden demise of the singer. "It is an untimely loss. I talked to the singer's wife. I am in coordination with my ministers in Kolkata. If the weather allows, I will fly to Kolkata airport to pay my last respects to the singer. Police will also give a gun salute," she said while addressing a rally in Bankura district on Wednesday morning. The singer’s body will be taken to Mumbai.

According to police, the auditorium had almost three times the audience its capacity would allow. "There was an audience of 7,000 odd people and the auditorium has a capacity of around 2,500 people. The auditorium authorities had to open five gates out of seven after thousands of students turned up there," said another police officer.