Veteran Tamil film music composer Deva, fondly known as Thenisai Thendral and the 'King of Gaana', passed away in Chennai on Saturday, October 17, 2026. He was 75. The legendary musician, whose foot-tapping melodies and background scores defined an era of Tamil cinema, breathed his last at a private hospital in the city, drawing an outpouring of grief from the film industry, political leaders and millions of fans.
According to reports, Deva was admitted to Surya Hospital in Kodambakkam at around 8.30 in the morning after suffering a heart attack. Hospital sources said he had no pulse when he arrived and that efforts to revive him remained futile. His mortal remains were later taken to his residence in Vadapalani, where they were kept for the public and members of the film industry to pay homage.
The Tamil Nadu government announced a state funeral for the veteran composer in recognition of his contribution to Tamil cinema. "The Government will accord State Honours to the final journey of Music Composer Mr. Deva," the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Office said. Chief Minister S. Joseph Vijay described Deva's demise as an "irreplaceable loss", while DMK president and former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin arrived at Deva's residence in T. Nagar to pay his final tributes.
Born Devanesan Chokkalingam on November 20, 1950, Deva worked in the Public Works Department of the Tamil Nadu government before entering the film industry — an unlikely beginning for a man who would go on to compose music for more than 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
His debut as a film music composer came with Mattukkara Mannaru in 1986; though the film failed at the box office, its songs later gained popularity. He began attracting wider attention with the Ramarajan-starrer Manasuketha Maharasa, and it was Vaikasi Poranthachu, released in 1990, that brought him wider recognition — along with his first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director.
His talent soon caught the attention of leading filmmakers, and Annamalai, starring Rajinikanth and Khushbu, proved to be the turning point of his career. Its songs became chartbusters and established Deva as one of Tamil cinema's most sought-after composers. The soundtracks he crafted for Rajinikanth-starrers such as Annamalai, Arunachalam and Baashha became cultural milestones, played at celebrations across Tamil Nadu for decades.
He also composed the iconic title-card music for Rajinikanth, which has been used consistently for the actor's film introductions.
What set Deva apart was his embrace of gaana — the street music of Chennai — which he brought into mainstream cinema at a time when the industry's soundscape was dominated by two towering figures, Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman. Only a couple of weeks before his death, at the success meet of the Tamil film Meesaya Murukku 2, Deva had explained why he had turned to gaana songs.
"I was the 28th music director who got introduced to the film industry at a time when music director Ilaiyaraaja was ruling the roost," he had said. "Before me, 27 music directors had made their debut and could not sustain. It is not a small thing if I could sustain at a time the music scene was dominated by two great music composers. On the one hand was Ilaiyaraaja, an iconic composer, and on the other was A.R. Rahman. Any song I composed would either sound like a song composed by Raaja, or if I scored a western number, it would sound like Rahman. It was under these circumstances that I wanted an identity for myself and therefore brought the gaana songs."
That identity became his legacy. Deva's gaana numbers, his folk-infused melodies and his rousing background scores gave Tamil cinema a sound that was distinctly its own — earthy, energetic and instantly recognisable. His composition 'Viral thottal' from the 2002 Mammootty film Phantom is still hummed in Kerala, and his songs for stars like Vijay and Ajith, as in Kadhal Kottai, turned into musical hits that defined the 1990s.
Deva was not restricted to Tamil. He forayed into Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, and forged a kinship with singer Hariharan, who as a vocalist excelled with his songs in films like Nerukku Ner and Kushi. Like Ilaiyaraaja, Deva also had a spiritual side to his persona, and it seeped into his music at times.
He was a winner of the Tamil Nadu government's prestigious Kalaimamani Award, and his first State Film Award in 1990 marked the beginning of a decorated career. His son Srikanth Deva is a popular music director himself, and his nephew Jai is a popular actor in Tamil cinema — the family's musical lineage continuing into a new generation.
Tributes poured in through the day. Superstar Rajinikanth attended the funeral and paid his last respects to the late legend. Kamal Haasan, who shared a long association with the composer, wrote an emotional tribute in Tamil, recalling their collaborations on films such as Avvai Shanmugi, Pammal K. Sambandam and Panchatanthiram.
"The news of my dear brother Deva's passing is shocking," Haasan wrote. "He was a vibrant soul, full of enthusiasm and zeal, with a penchant for light-hearted humour and hearty laughter. Memories of the joyful times we shared working together on films like Avvai Shanmugi, Pammal K. Sambandam, and Panchatanthiram come flooding back." He offered his deepest condolences to the composer's family.
Actress-politician Khushbu Sundar, who had reportedly met the composer just ten days before his demise, expressed shock at his passing. Singer Chinmayi and a host of other film personalities also joined those mourning the loss of the veteran musician.
With Deva's passing at 75, a distinct musical era concludes in the southern film industry. He arrived when giants ruled, found his own voice in the music of the streets, and gave Tamil cinema some of its most enduring melodies. The gaana beat that he carried into the mainstream will long outlive him — in film halls, at festivals, and in the memory of a generation that grew up on his songs.
The state funeral announced by the Tamil Nadu government is among the highest honours the state can bestow on an artist, placing Deva in the company of the most revered cultural figures the state has lost. State honours typically include the draping of the mortal remains with the national flag, a gun salute and the presence of state ministers — a formal farewell for a man whose informal, street-born music had become part of Tamil Nadu's cultural identity.
(Reporting based on The Hindu, Pinkvilla and News Today.)