Veteran composer Deva passes away; Rajinikanth pays final tribute

Veteran music composer Deva, who created iconic music for Rajinikanth's films, has passed away. The superstar visited Deva's residence to pay his last respects. Kamal Haasan and MK Stalin were among the many who paid tribute to the late composer.

Superstar Rajinikanth arrived at the residence of veteran music composer Deva on Saturday to pay his last respects to the composer, who passed away earlier today.

Visuals from Deva's residence showed the actor arriving to pay tributes to the late music composer.

Deva shared a memorable musical association with Rajinikanth, composing for several of the superstar’s films, including ‘Annamalai’ (1992), ‘Baashha’ (1995) and ‘Arunachalam’ (1997). His signature title-card music, which accompanies the appearance of Rajinikanth’s name on screen, became an iconic part of the actor’s cinematic identity.

Tributes Pour in from Kollywood and Politics

Meanwhile, tributes have also been pouring in across social media platforms from political figures, celebrities, and fans.

Actor Kamal Haasan, who also closely collaborated with the late music composer, wrote, “The news of my dear brother Deva's passing is shocking. He was a vibrant soul, full of enthusiasm and zeal, with a penchant for light-hearted humour and hearty laughter. Memories of the joyful times we shared working together on films like *Avvai Shanmugi*, *Pammal K. Sambandam*, and *Panchatanthiram* come flooding back. My heartfelt tribute to him. My deepest condolences and words of comfort to his family.”

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 17, 2026

Remembering the veteran music composer, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin paid his tributes on X. “I was deeply shocked to hear the news of the passing of 'Thenisai Thendral' Deva. Deva possessed a pure, guileless heart, entirely free from jealousy, deceit, or cunning. He was instrumental in bringing the 'Gaana' genre into mainstream film music—to such an extent that the term 'Gaana' became synonymous with Deva himself. Coming from a simple rural background to Chennai, he rose to become one of the leading music directors in the South Indian film industry, serving as an inspiration to many. He composed music for films featuring all the top superstars, playing a pivotal role in their success,” Stalin wrote.

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 17, 2026

Deva's Prolific Career

The late music composer Deva predominantly worked in Tamil cinema, making music for more than 400 films. He also composed music for Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. Deva famously composed the iconic title card music for superstar Rajinikanth, which has been consistently used for the actor’s film introductions.

Deva was born on November 20, 1950. (ANI)

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