{
  "id": 15147200,
  "title": "Deva, Tamil music maestro who held Malaysia close, dies at 75",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/deva-tamil-music-maestro-who-held-malaysia-close-dies-at-75-15147200",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T07:11:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/10/17/deva-tamil-music-maestro-who-held-malaysia-close-dies-at-75"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Veteran Indian composer Deva, whose music defined an era of Tamil cinema and won him a devoted following in Malaysia, has died at the age of 75 following a heart attack in Chennai. Born Devanesan Chokkalingam, Deva composed songs and background scores for more than 400 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Known affectionately as “Thenisai Thendral,” he became one of Tamil cinema’s most prolific and recognisable musical voices, equally skilled with romantic melodies, folk-influenced numbers, and the energetic gaana style that became his signature. His best-known work includes music for films like “Annamalai,” “Baashha,” “Aasai,” “Kadhal Kottai,” “Nerrukku Ner,” “Vaalee,” and “Kushi,” as well as scores for Rajinikanth blockbusters such as “Annamalai” and “Baashha,” which became part of the star’s larger-than-life screen identity.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Deva, Tamil music maestro who held Malaysia close, dies at 75",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/deva-tamil-music-maestro-who-held-malaysia-close-dies-at-75",
        "published": "2026-10-17T07:11:30.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Legendary Tamil music composer Deva, the man behind iconic Rajinikanth themes, dies at 75",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/legendary-tamil-music-composer-deva-the-man-behind-iconic-rajinikanth",
        "published": "2026-10-17T07:13:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Music composer Deva, who created Rajinikanth’s intro music, dies at 75",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/music-composer-deva-who-created-rajinikanths-intro-music-dies-at-75",
        "published": "2026-10-17T07:34:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "Tamil Nadu Governor Arlekar, CM Vijay express condolences over passing of composer Deva",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/tamil-nadu-governor-arlekar-cm-vijay-express-condolences-over-passing",
        "published": "2026-10-17T09:56:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}