Malayalam playback singer Edava Basheer collapses during live performance, dies at 78

Even as India mourns the death of popular playback singer, Krishnakumar Kunnath fondly known as KK, another singer from the Malayalam film industry died a few days ago under similar circumstances.

Veteran Malayalam singer Edava Basheer collapsed on stage during a live concert in Allapuzha, Kerala on Saturday. Basheer, 78, was performing live at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Blue Diamond Orchestra when he fell unconscious on the stage, according to a report in The Hindu. Following the incident, Basheer was rushed to a nearby hospital, however, he could not be saved.

Basheer, a native of Edava in Thiruvananthapuram, had sung in numerous Malayalam movies. However, he was best known for his live performances on various occasions and temples.


The 78-year-old singer obtained a Gnanbooshanam or degree in music from Swathi Thirunal Musica academy. He is also credited for establishing the Kollam Sangeethalaya Gnanamela Troupe.

Basheer, who was known for his devotional songs, performed in the US, UK, Europe and the Middle East. A video of the singer collapsing on the stage has gone viral following the incident.
This is the third tragic death of artists in the last couple of days. On Sunday, Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala died of gun-shot wounds and on Tuesday night KK died after returning from a live performance. While Moose Wala had a legion of fans spread across nations who loved his songs and videos, KK was one of the prominent Indian playback singers who shot to fame in the 90s and went on to sing across languages.