According to a report by the Times Of India, the 74-year-old died at a hospital in Chennai while being treated for COVID-19 on 25 September.

Lending his voice to more than 40,000 songs in 16 different Indian languages, his songs always stood out because of his distinctive deep soulful voice.

He was most famous for tunes in Telegu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam.

According to the report, the singer, who had been in the industry for close to 55 years, had been admitted to the MGM Healthcare facility since 5 August.

I am fine, I will be fine

In a video uploaded on August 5 on social media, SP Bala said that he was admitted for having "mild" COVID-19 symptoms.

He assured fans and those who were concerned that he was ok and even told them not to bother calling him.

"In two days I'll be discharged and I'll be home. Thanks for the concern. Lots of people are concerned, calling me, I could not attend to so many calls. I have come here to mostly take rest so that there won't be any disturbance to me and take the medication...Don’t bother calling me. I am fine. I will be fine," were among his words in the close to 2-minute long clip.

During his illustrious career, SP Bala won countless national and state awards for playback singing and his works with the Indian cinema.

He also received civilian awards including a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan from the Indian government.