Deva, veteran music composer’s funeral LIVE | Final rites on October 18; T.N. government to accord State honours

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MADURAI, TAMIL NADU, 19/07/2017: Music director Deva during the interview with The Hindu Metroplus | Photo Credit: The Hindu

T amil film music composer Deva , who brought gaana music into mainstream cinema and whose songs and background scores for Rajinikanth-starrers such as Annamalai, Arunachalam and Baashha became hugely popular, died on Saturday (October 17, 2026), aged 75. Hospital sources said he had no pulse when he arrived and that efforts to revive him remained futile.

Born Devanesan Chokkalingam, Deva worked in the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Tamil Nadu government before entering the film industry. His debut as a film music composer was with Mattukkara Mannaru in 1986; though the film failed at the box office, its songs later gained popularity. He began attracting attention with the Ramarajan-starrer Manasuketha Maharasa, and it was Vaikasi Poranthachu, released in 1990, that brought him wider recognition and 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 a turning point, with its songs becoming chartbusters and establishing him as one of Tamil cinema’s most sought-after composers.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar expressed grief over the death of music composer Deva, saying his contribution to Tamil film music had enriched the State’s cultural landscape.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay expressed shock at the death of music composer Deva and conveyed his condolences to his family, friends and the film industry. In a statement on social media, Mr. Vijay said Deva “captivated the hearts of the common people with his folk songs,” adding that he had composed music for over 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada, and that his “musical journey and songs will forever endure in the history of film music.

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