Ilaiyaraaja’s daughter Bavatharini passes away

The 47-year-old breathed her last at 5.20 pm in Sri Lanka where she was undergoing ayurveda treatment.

Chennai: Bhavatharini, the national award-winning playback singer known for her soulful voice, passed away at the age of 47 on Thursday, after losing a prolonged battle with cancer.

The daughter of music legend Ilaiyaraaja, Bavatharini breathed her last at 5.20 pm in Colombo in Sri Lanka, where she was under ayurveda treatment.

An accomplished playback singer, Bhavatharini, who is survived by her businessman husband R Sabariraj, also tried her hand at music by scoring music for over half-a-dozen films, including in Hindi. The mortal remains of Bavatharini is expected to reach here on Friday after which her last rites will be conducted as per Hindu traditions.

Making her debut in Prabhu Deva-starrer Rasaiah in 1995 through a peppy masthana masthana song, Bhavatharini went on to sing hundreds songs for which music were composed by her father Ilaiyaraaja and brothers Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja.

From ennai thaalaata varuvaala in Kadhalukku Mariyathai to the soul-stirring oliyile therivathu in Azhagi, Bhavatharini went onto win accolades for her singing that blended emotions with her peculiar voice.

She was presented with the national award for mayil pola ponnu onu in Bharathi, the biopic of celebrated Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi in 2001, besides winning several state and other film awards. In 2002, she wore the hat of a music director by scoring music for Mitr, My Friend directed by actor Revathi and for movies like Phir Milenge (Hindi).

Apart from Tamil, Bhavatharini also sang songs in south Indian languages like Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi during her film career.

Sources said Bavatharini was receiving treatment in Sri Lanka for the past few months after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Ilaiyaraaja is also in Sri Lanka for a concert.