S Janaki, The 'Nightingale Of The South', Dies At 88

The music world has lost one of its most cherished voices. Veteran playback singer S Janaki, fondly known as the ‘Nightingale of the South’, passed away in Mysuru on Saturday, July 11, at the age of 88. Her family confirmed the news through a statement on social media.

Sharing the news on Instagram, Janaki’s granddaughter, Apsara Vydyula, announced that the singer passed away peacefully while surrounded by her loved ones.

She wrote, “Dear everyone, It is with profound sadness that I share the passing of my beloved grandmother and legendary singer, Smt. S. Janaki. She left us peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family. While our hearts are heavy, we are also filled with gratitude for the extraordinary life she lived and the immeasurable joy

she brought to millions through her timeless music.”

Remembering her grandmother beyond her iconic career, Apsara also requested privacy for the family during this difficult time.

She added, “To the world, she was an iconic voice whose songs became part of countless memories. To us, she was a loving grandmother whose warmth, humility, kindness, and grace will remain with us forever. We kindly request that you respect our family’s privacy during this difficult time as we grieve and come to terms with this loss. Thank you for your love, prayers, and understanding. Apsara Vydyula.”

Mallikarjun Kharge, Member of Rajya Sabha, mourned her death on X writing, “Saddened by the passing of legendary playback singer and the “Nightingale of South India”, S. Janaki Amma. For over six decades, her golden voice transcended several languages and generations, enriching Indian music with countless timeless melodies and became an inseparable part of our cultural consciousness. My deepest condolences to her family, admirers and the entire fraternity of Indian music and cinema.”

Saddened by the passing of legendary playback singer and the “Nightingale of South India”, S. Janaki Amma.

For over six decades, her golden voice transcended several languages and generations, enriching Indian music with countless timeless melodies and became an inseparable part… pic.twitter.com/VCz5aq6HPy

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 11, 2026

Born as Sistla Janaki on April 23, 1938, in Pallapatla, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, she developed an interest in music at a young age. Her father, Sreeramamurthy, was an Ayurvedic practitioner and teacher. Janaki spent much of her childhood in Sircilla, where she gave her first stage performance at the age of nine. Although she never received formal classical training, she learnt the basics from Nadaswaram vidwan Paidiswamy.

Following her uncle’s advice, Janaki moved to Chennai in her twenties to work with music composer R. Sudarsanam at AVM Studios. She made her playback debut with the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu in 1957 and later sang for the Telugu film M.L.A. What followed was a remarkable career spanning decades, during which she recorded songs in 20 Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit, Odia, Tulu, Urdu, Punjabi, Badaga, Bengali and Konkani. She also sang in English, Japanese, German and Sinhala.

Over the course of her illustrious career, Janaki won four National Film Awards and 33 State Film Awards across different states, cementing her place as one of Indian cinema’s greatest playback singers.

On the personal front, Janaki married V. Ramprasad in 1959. He remained a strong supporter of her musical journey until his death due to cardiac arrest in 1997. Earlier this year, the singer also suffered a personal loss when her son, Murali Krishna, passed away in January.