Veteran Tamil music composer Deva, who introduced the popular music of the North Chennai streets, also known as 'Gaana,' into mainstream films, passed away on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the age of 75.
He had a heart attack suddenly and was rushed to a private hospital in Kodambakkam, where he breathed his last. Tamil Nadu's chief minister, C. Joseph Vijay, has announced that his funeral will be performed with state honors.
As per news from the Press Trust of India and Indo-Asian News Service, Deva experienced chest pain early on Saturday morning and was immediately taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to the attack. The unfortunate event occurred just weeks ahead of his 76th birthday on November 20. His body was kept at his Chennai residence to enable fans and the film fraternity to pay their tributes to the late musician.
At the time of reporting, funeral arrangements were yet to be made.
He leaves behind his wife, his son Srikanth Deva, who is also a music director, and two daughters.
Deva was born in Devanesan Chokkalingam in the year 1950 in the Mylapore area of Chennai. Coming from a modest background, he had no formal education in music during his early life days. He often gave credit to his brothers Sabesh and Murali, who went on to become the composer duo Sabesh-Murali.
Following a brief break from films, he got his first big break and eventually emerged as one of the most prolific composers in South India. He was popularly called “Thenisai Thendral,” roughly meaning "The Breeze of Honeyed Melody."
Dev's most significant contribution was introducing gaana, an Indian street-music genre with influences from folk music in North Chennai, into the theaters of the whole country. He created many gaana tracks himself through composing and singing. The songs became immensely popular among the audience who rarely heard the kind of music in films. Some of these songs continued to be popular even after the films became old.
He emerged at the same time as A.R. Rahman, who revolutionized Tamil film music in the 1990s.
Deva is known mainly for his collaborations with the renowned actor Rajinikanth. The music he composed for these films is well-known:
- Annaamalai (1992): The first collaboration between the composer and the actor, which created a pattern for the music of Rajinikanth that is loved by all.
- Baashha (1995): The theme music was famous in the industry because of its simplicity.
- Arunachalam (1997): This is another instance where Deva composed the intro and background score for the film.
- The music that Deva created for the introduction of Rajinikanth in his films was known to be used by him for decades.
Over his career, Deva has made music for around 400 films, most of them being in the Tamil language, whereas some are in Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. He has also composed a great number of devotional songs.
Deva has even composed for the film named "Deva" in 1995, which featured Vijay, who currently is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. In 2014, young composer Anirudh Ravichander asked Deva to sing a gaana song in his album Maan Karate.
On Saturday, tributes poured in from all corners of politics and cinema:
- C. Joseph Vijay: "It is a great loss for Tamil cinema that we have lost Deva. He is irreplaceable. I extend my condolences to his family." He was responsible for composing more than 400 film songs and visited the house of the artiste to extend sympathies. The Chief Minister’s Office stated that he will be honored by the state government.
- M. K. Stalin: "The DMK leader paid his respects to the departed Deva in the presence of his family members. Stalin said that Gaana is synonymous with Deva, and he was humble and jealous-free." He also visited the artiste's home.
- Rajinikanth: The actor reached the place where the musician lived, paying respect to him, and shared a video tribute.
Deva's songs were for the streets just as much as for the movies. People would dance to his songs during marriage ceremonies, festivals, and college events. Moreover, his music paved the way for other gaana-inspired composers, such as his son Srikanth Deva.
Arrangements will be made regarding his funeral services and state honors, which will surely attract many colleagues in the film industry. Supporters have started accumulating around his residence, and posts have continued pouring in on social networks.
