Prolific Indian singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as ‘KK’ — who died at the age of 53 on May 31, 2022 following a cardiac arrest while performing at a concert in Kolkata — is being remembered and celebrated as Google’s Doodle today. His death shocked the entire world, especially the Indian music industry, of which he was a key part. Take a look at the doodle here.
It is neither the singer’s birth nor death anniversary today. He was born on August 23, 1968 in Delhi. During the course of his long and inimitable career, KK lent his voice not only to the Hindi music industry, but he also sung in several regional languages including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Odia, Assamese, Gujarati, and Bangla.
Before his death, KK had performed at a college festival concert at the famous Nazrul Mancha in South Kolkata. During his way back to the hotel, the singer complained of uneasiness and feeling generally unwell. From his hotel in Esplanade, he was taken to Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) when his condition deteriorated. Apparently, he had collapsed and the staff was unable to resuscitate him. The singer ultimately succumbed to cardiac arrest.
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Questions over arrangements
While the cause of the singer’s death remains unknown and an autopsy is expected later on Wednesday, questions are being raised about the arrangements at Kolkata’s Nazrul Mancha auditorium, where the air conditioning was allegedly not working properly.
At one point, Krishnakumar Kunnath KK was seen gesturing to a man on stage and appeared to be talking about the air conditioning,” said the report.
Many on social media said the auditorium, with a capacity of 2,400 people, was overcrowded.
Authorities in West Bengal have launched an investigation into the singer’s death.
Aroop Biswas, a government minister in West Bengal, said Kunnath died of a “suspected cardiac arrest”.
But police said they are probing whether he died an “unnatural death”, with media reports saying there were injuries to his face and head.
“We are also talking to the hotel authorities and scrutinising CCTV footage to understand what had happened before he was taken to the hospital,” said police official Sanjoy Mukherjee.
Born in Delhi, the versatile singer recorded songs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali, among other languages.
His hits from the 2000s included “Aankhon mein teri” (In your eyes) from the movie Om Shanti Om and “Khuda jaane” (God knows) from Bachna Ae Haseeno.
One of the Hindi songs that he sang at his last concert included “Pal” (Moment) that has the lyrics “whether we live or not, we will remember this moment”.
What is Hypoxia that took Krishnakumar Kunnath KK’s life?
In simple terms, hypoxia means the body, or a certain part of it, is not getting sufficient oxygen. According to the Cleveland Clinic, ‘Any condition that reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood flow can cause hypoxia.’ Those who have existing lung diseases like COPD, asthma or emphysema can be at risk for hypoxia. Even COVID-19, influenza and pneumonia infections can put you at risk of hypoxia.
In Krishnakumar Kunnath KK’s case, the post-mortem report explains that his heart wasn’t pumping well, which was causing a build-up of fluids in his lungs, which made it harder for him to breathe, resulting in hypoxia.
Symptoms of hypoxia
Depending on the severity of the health condition that causes hypoxia, it can show various symptoms. A few of them are:
1) Headache
2) Rapid heart rate
3) Difficulty in breathing
4) Shortness of breath
5) Restlessness
6) Confusion
7) Anxiety
8) Bluish skin
9) Slow heart rate
10) Extreme restlessness