Legendary Tamil music composer Deva, fondly known as "Thenisai Thendral" (the southern breeze of music), died in Chennai on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the age of 75. He was reportedly taken to Surya Hospital in Kodambakkam at around 8:30am after suffering a heart attack and was declared dead shortly after. His body was kept at his residence in T Nagar, Chennai, where members of the film fraternity and the public paid their final respects. In a career spanning more than three decades, Deva composed music for over 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema, and created the iconic title-card music that accompanies superstar Rajinikanth's name on screen.
The man behind "Thenisai Thendral"
Deva was born Devanesan Chokkalingam on November 20, 1950, in Mylapore, Chennai. Coming from a simple rural background, he made his film debut as a composer with the 1986 Tamil film Maattukara Mannaru and rose to become one of the busiest and most beloved music directors of the 1990s and 2000s.
He is widely credited with bringing Chennai's gaana music into mainstream cinema. Former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, paying tribute on X, wrote that Deva "played a pivotal role in bringing the 'Gaana' genre into mainstream film music," adding that he "possessed a pure and guileless heart" and was an inspiration to many who came from modest beginnings. During his career, Deva received honours including the Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani award and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director.
The Rajinikanth connection
Deva's name is inseparable from Rajinikanth's cinematic identity. He composed the title-card music that plays when Rajinikanth's name appears on screen, a signature that has been associated with the actor's films since Annamalai in 1992. His scores for Annamalai (1992), Baashha (1995) and Arunachalam (1997) became inseparable from Rajinikanth's own legend.
Beyond Rajinikanth, Deva collaborated with Kamal Haasan on films including Avvai Shanmugi, Pammal K Sambandam and Panchathanthiram, and worked with stars like Vijay, Ajith Kumar and Pawan Kalyan across languages. His evergreen hits span blockbusters such as Muthu, Aasai, Kadhal Kottai, Vaali and Kushi.
An industry in mourning
Hours after Deva's demise, Rajinikanth arrived at the composer's T Nagar residence in tears to pay his last respects. He later released a video tribute calling Deva "a person of pure gold" without lies or deceit, recalling how the composer had graciously accepted his decision to work with A R Rahman on Padaiyappa. He also revealed that Deva had visited him two-and-a-half years ago to say he too wanted to hold concerts like everyone else, and that he had happily inaugurated the event.
Kamal Haasan posted an emotional tribute calling Deva his "dear brother" and remembering their films together. Actress Khushbu Sundar said she had met him just 10 days earlier. Music director Ilaiyaraaja cancelled all music work scheduled at his studio on Saturday. Tributes also poured in from actors Vijay Sethupathi, Karthi and composer Sam CS, singer Chinmayi, and many others across the industry.
Deva's music carried the energy of the street and the warmth of a melody everyone could hum. For an entire generation, his songs were the sound of celebration, from wedding halls to cinema theatres. He leaves behind a catalogue that will keep playing long after the final curtain — the southern breeze, still in the air.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: The Indian Express; India TV News; NDTV