P. Jayachandran, the iconic playback singer of Malayalam cinema, has passed away at 80, leaving behind a legacy of over 16,000 songs in multiple languages.
Thrissur: The beloved playback singer of Malayalam, P. Jayachandran, has passed away at the age of 80. He had been undergoing treatment for liver disease, and his passing occurred on Thursday evening at 7:50 PM. Jayachandran’s funeral will take place tomorrow.
Throughout his career, Jayachandran lent his voice to over 16,000 songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, and several other languages.
Born on March 3, 1944, in Ernakulam, Kerala, to renowned musician Ravi Varma Kechaniyan Thampuran and Paliyath Subhadrakunjamma, Jayachandran was the third of five children. His family later moved to Irinjalakuda, where he grew up. During his school years, he won numerous awards in events like mridangam and light music at youth festivals. It was at one such festival that he met his contemporary, the famous singer Yesudas.
After graduating in Zoology from Christ College, Irinjalakuda, he worked as a chemist in Chennai in 1966. His entry into playback singing began in 1965 with the song “Oru Mullappoo Malaayai” from the movie Kunukkali Marakkar, written by P. Bhaskaran. He gained popularity with the song “Manjalayil Mungithothi” from Kazithozhan (1966), and his fame grew further with the 1967 hit song “Anuraga Gaanam Pole” from Udyogam.
In 1972, he won the Best Playback Singer award for the song “Neela Giriyude Sakhikale” from the film Pani Theeratha Veedu. His Tamil debut was in 1973 with the song “Thankachimilzh Poal” from Maniyappal. Over the years, Jayachandran’s voice graced the works of many renowned music directors in both Malayalam and Tamil.
His contribution to Hindi cinema began in 2008 when he sang alongside Alka Yagnik for the song “A.R. Rahman’s ADIA – A Way of Life”.
Jayachandran was honored with the National Award for Best Playback Singer once and has received five state awards for his contributions. In 2020, the Kerala State Government conferred upon him the JC Daniel Award for his overall contribution to Malayalam cinema.
