Bapu will be severely missed: S.P Balasubrahmanyam

Renowned playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam Sunday condoled the death of legendary Telugu filmmaker Sattiraju Lakshmi Narayana aka Bapu, and said he will be "severely missed".

Bapu passed away at his residence following cardiac arrest. He was 80.

Balasubrahmanyam said Telugu alphabets "won't be the same after the great sculptor's demise".

"I was associated as a singer, music director for almost 90 percent of his creations. My first song recording happened on his birthday (Dec 15), which I will always cherish. He will be severely missed," Balasubrahmanyam posted on his Facebook page.

"He was crestfallen when his soulmate Mullapudi Ramana passed away almost two years back. I should say that he never recovered from that loss," he said.

Mullapudi Venkata Ramana was Bapu's best friend and his writing partner. Both of them worked together in several memorable Telugu films such as "Mutyala Muggu", "Mister Pellam", "Pelli Pusthakam" and "Seetha Kalyanam".

Ramana passed away in 2011.

Balasubrahmanyam was among the few people Bapu regularly met since Ramana's death.

"I was one of the few whom he allowed to see him on and off. My last visit was after I returned from the US in July. I sang some of his favourite songs at that time. He was a die-hard fan of Janab Mehdi Hassan and his Ghazals," he posted.