People, Positions and Obituaries · 15 July 2026

Legendary Playback Singer S. Janaki Dies at 88

Exam-focused facts from the 15 July 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

  • Veteran playback singer S. Janaki, known as the 'Nightingale of South India,' passed away at the age of 88 in a private hospital in Mysuru due to age-related health issues.
  • She recorded over 40,000 songs in about 20 Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, and Punjabi.
  • Janaki made her playback singing debut in the Tamil film 'Vidhiyin Vilayattu' and is credited with recording the highest number of songs in the Kannada film industry.
  • She received four National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer and numerous state honours for her contribution to music.
  • Janaki retired from playback singing in 2016, with her last song being 'Ammapoovinu' from the Malayalam film 'Pathu Kalpanakal'.

View this story in the full daily briefing

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