Maestro Mandolin Srinivas passes away

A musician par excellence, musician Uppalapu Srinivas, who struck the right note with the mandolin, died here Friday leaving his fans emotionally shaken and a void in the music world. He was 45.

The musician was admitted to Apollo Hospital here some days back due to liver problem and breathed his last Friday morning around 9.30, hospital officials said.

The last rites will be performed on Sunday.

His sudden demise has shocked his fans across the world and mourning the loss, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday expressed grief.

"PM recalled the mandolin maestro's dedication and long-standing contribution towards music and added that he will always be remembered," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah said: "The death of Mandolin Srinivas has left a void and the Carnatic music world has lost a mandolin genius," while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa expressed her shock and said it was Shrinivas who popularised the mandolin instrument.

Born Feb 28, 1969, in Palakolu in Andhra Pradesh, Srinivas was a child prodigy who gave the mandolin - a Western instrument - a permanent status in the Carnatic music world.

A world-renowned musician, Srinivas gave his first public performance in 1978 in Andhra Pradesh and soon he started trotting the globe.

In 1983, Srinivas performed at the JazzFest Berlin and later toured Canada, Australia and many other countries. He rendered performances with Western artist like Michael Brook, John McLaughlin, Nigel Kennedy, Trey Gunn, Michael Nyman and others.

Thanks to his work, he was honoured with prestigious awards like Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Academy, and Sangeeta Ratna.

Musician Ehsaan Noorani remembers mandolin player Uppalapu Srinivas as "one of the finest musicians", while Oscar-winning composer A.R Rahman says he is "emotionally shaken" after hearing the news of his demise.

On the personal front, his marriage ended in divorce and his wife got custody of their son. - IANS