Seetharama Sastry Death: Telugu lyricist passes away at 66; PM Narendra Modi and others, mourn his death

Telugu lyricist Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry passed away at the age of 66 on Tuesday. The popular lyricist was suffering from lung cancer and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Hyderabad. Recipient of the Padma Shri award, Sirivennela Seetharama Sastri was diagnosed with pneumonia on November 24, after which he was admitted to the hospital. He was undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but doctors could not save him.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled his death. In a tweet, he wrote: “Saddened by the demise of Sirivenela Sitaram Shastri. His poetic brilliance and versatility can be seen in many of his works. He made a lot of efforts to make Telugu popular. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti.”

Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry had carved a niche for himself with his scintillating songs in the films Sirivenela, Swarn Kamalam, Shubh Lagnam, Rudraveena and many more. He became popular for his work in renowned director Vishwanath’s 1986 film ‘Sirivennela’. And it is after this very film that he came to be known as 'Sirivennela' Sitaram Sastry, even though his surname was Chembolu.

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Sirivennela Sitaram Sastry wrote more than 3,000 songs throughout his career. He had received the Nandi Award conferred by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, apart from several other accolades for his contribution to the Telugu film industry. Sirivennela Sitaram Sastry made a popular pair with popular singer SP Balasubramaniam.

Expressing grief over his demise, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said that he was among those who were fans of the songs penned by the late lyricist. The Vice President said that Sastry had popularized the Telugu language and values in his songs. He also expressed his condolences to Sastry's family.

Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu, South Actor Chiranjeevi, K Vishwanath and several other celebrities and politicians have expressed their condolences over the veteran lyricist’s death.

This is the second death in less than a week's time that has shook the Telugu film industry. Earlier on November 28, popular choreographer of the industry, Sivasankar Master had succumbed to Covid-19.

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• Sirivennela
• Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry
• Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry death
• Telugu lyricist