Indian playback singer Uma Ramanan, who found fame by singing in Tamil, is no more. The singer, who collaborated with music composer Ilaiyaraaja on many songs, died in Chennai on May 1.

According to reports, Uma died on Wednesday after battling an illness. The cause of death is still unknown, and other details about her funeral are awaited. She was 72 when she breathed her last.

The singer is survived by singer-husband AV Ramanan and their son, Vignesh Ramanan. After training in classical music under Pazhani Vijayalakshmi, Uma crossed paths with Ramanan. At the time, Ramanan was searching for singers to feature in his live shows. They soon embarked on a professional collaboration, which later blossomed into love.

Musical legacy of three decades

Uma was a trained classical singer and appeared in more than 6,000 concerts in her career spanning over three decades. Her musical journey began with the song Mohanan Kannan Murali, which was composed by SV Venkatraman for the film, Sri Krishna Leela, back in 1977.

The song, Poongathave Chocha Thakavai from the musical in Nizhalgal, by Ilaiyaraaja, earned her popularity in the Tamil film industry. While she sang several songs for her husband, it was her long association with Ilaiyaraaja which got her fame. She worked on over 100 songs with Ilaiyaraaja.

Some of her famous songs for Ilaiyaraaja include Bhoopalam Isaikkum from Thooral Ninnu Pochchu, Aanandha Raagam from Panneer Pushpangal, Kanmani Nee Vara from Thendrale Ennai Thodu, Ponn Maanae from Oru Kaidhiyin Dairy, Aagaya Vennilave from Arangetra Velai and Sri Ranga Ranganathanin from Mahanadi, among others.

Apart from Ilaiyaraaja, she also collaborated with composers such as MSV, Shankar-Ganesh, T Rajender, Deva, SA Rajkumar, Chili, Mani Sharma, Srikanth Deva, and Vidyasagar. Uma and AV Ramanan also sang a song for the Hindi film Playboy. Uma Ramanan's last song was Kannum Kannumthan Kalandaachu for Vijay's Thirupaachi.

Fans in shock

The news of her death has left several of her fans heartbroken. Some social media users took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their shock, and condole the demise.

“Woke up to the sad news of the passing away of singer Mrs Uma Ramanan. In this age of Super Singers and performers where the singers act more than they sing, here is Mrs Uma Ramanan bringing such complex emotions through her voice with zero indications on her face. What a singer! Om Shanthi Mam ,” a fan wrote.

“There is a word in English – Ethereal. That’s the word I would use to describe #UmaRamanan’s voice—the most delicate voice that gives us a mystique feeling. Thanks for singing those songs. Farewell. The first song that came to my mind was this one from Nandu,” shared another user.

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