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

'Thenisai Thendral' Deva was 75 and breathed his last at a private hospital in Chennai

Updated - October 17, 2026 06:18 pm IST

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

Tamil film music composer Deva, known for Rajinikanth-starrers such as Annamalai, Arunachalam and Baashha, died on Saturday (October 17, 2026), aged 75. His funeral will take place on Sunday (October 18, 2026), with the Tamil Nadu government according him full State honours.

Also Read : Composer Deva: the monarch of Gaana music

His mortal remains are kept at his residence in T. Nagar, Chennai, for fans and film personalities to pay their last respects until 1 p.m. on Sunday. His body will then be taken to his native village of Mangadu, near Arcot in Ranipet district, for the final rites.

Also Read: Deva, the original Vibe Master of ‘90s Tamil cinema

Born Devanesan Chokkalingam, Deva worked in the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) before entering films, debuting with Mattukkara Mannaru (1986). Vaikasi Poranthachu (1990) brought him his first State Film Award, and Annamalai established him as one of Tamil cinema’s most sought-after composers.

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North Madras Gana singers paid tribute to music director Deva at his residence in T. Nagar today.

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Director K.S. Ravikumar paid tribute to music director Deva at his residence in T. Nagar today.

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Actor Anandharaj paid tribute to music director Deva today at his residence in T. Nagar.

Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan today expressed grief over the death of renowned music composer Deva, recalling his contribution to the Tamil film industry and Indian cinema.

In his condolence message, the Vice President said Deva had carved a distinct identity through his unique musical style and popular “gaana” songs, which reflected the lives and emotions of ordinary people.

Deva composed music for more than 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema. Radhakrishnan said his memorable compositions and distinctive contribution to “gaana” music would continue to be cherished by generations of music lovers.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan on Saturday said composer Deva had left an “indelible mark in the Tamil art world”.

In a statement, he said Deva introduced gaana music, rooted in Chennai’s indigenous communities, to Tamil cinema and took it to an international audience. He added that Deva’s contribution to more than 400 films and his efforts to keep gaana music alive had made his death a major loss to the Tamil community and the arts.

Actor Sivakumar pays tributes to music director Deva at his residence in T. Nagar on Saturday.

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Music composer Deva’s mortal remains will be kept at his residence in T. Nagar until 1 p.m. on Sunday (October 18, 2026) for fans and film personalities to pay their last respects.

His body will then be taken to his native village of Mangadu, near Arcot in Ranipet district, for the final rites, which will be held with full State honours, the Tamil Nadu government has announced.

In the 1990s, when Tamil film music largely reflected a duopoly vested with the established Ilaiyaraaja and the emerging A.R. Rahman, Deva stepped up and carved his own unique path.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay Mother Shoba Chandrasekar consoles music director Deva family at his residence in T. Nagar on Saturday.

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay visited music director Deva’s residence in T. Nagar on Saturday to console his family.WhatsApp Image 2026-10-17 at 15.19.47.jpeg

“Every music composer has a style of his own and is associated with a genre of music. I hail from Chennai, and gaana is inseparable from Chennaiites... It may sound raw, but the musicality of this genre is very deep,” the composer, popularly known as Thenisai Thendral Deva, had told The Hindu in an interview.

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. It was Vaikasi Poranthachu (1990) that brought him wider recognition and his first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director, and Annamalai (1992), starring Rajinikanth, that proved to be his turning point, with all its songs becoming chartbusters.