The famous classical singer and former Asthana Widavan of TTD Garimela Balakrishna Prasad, who breathed his last in Tirupati on Sunday. , Photo Credit: KV Poonachandra Kumar

Famous classical singer and former Ashtna Vidwan TTD Garimela Balakrishna Prasad died of a heart attack at his home in Tirupati on Sunday (March 9). He was 76 years old.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said that the death of Garimella Balakrishna Prasad came as a shock for him. In a post on ‘X’, the Chief Minister said that Garimela Balakrishna Prasad, who served as a court singer in TTD from 1978 to 2006, was a great man who composed music for more than 600 Annamacharya Shankins. He was also skilled in Karnataka, folk and classical music. With his melodious voice, he became the recipient of the grace and kindness of Lord Venkateswara, the Chief Minister said. “I express my deep condolences to my family members” he said.

Former Chief Minister and YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the death of the musician. Shri Jagan expressed his deep condolences to the family members of Garimala Balakrishna Prasad and prayed for the departed soul to achieve eternal peace.

Recalling the invaluable contribution of Garimela Balakrishna Prasad, Shri Jagan highlighted his specific service as a former court scholar of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). He emphasized that as a musician, the legacy of Garimela Balakrishna Prasad increased beyond his mastery, seeing his remarkable work in the creation of tunes for devotional devotion of revered St.-Payat Talpaka Annamacharya. He said that Garimela Balakrishna Prasad’s efforts to bring Annamacharya’s music and literature to the public through their compositions are precious and will be unique.