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BANGALORE, INDIA, December 12, 2004: Madurai Shanmugavadivu “M.S.” Subbulakshmi, an Indian classical singer who mesmerized millions, died late Saturday in the southern city of Madras, a close family friend said. She was 88. She died of a respiratory illness, the friend said Sunday. Born on Sept. 16, 1916, in the southern Indian temple town of Madurai, she recorded her first disc at the age of 10. She made her concert debut at Madras’ legendary Music Academy Hall aged 17 — a performance that brought her instant fame. In 1938, Subbulakshmi started acting in movies, but it was the 1945 film “Meera,” in which she played a singer who dedicated her life to the Hindu god Krishna, that the young star was catapulted to iconic status. The glamorous Subbulakshmi later quit acting to concentrate on her musical career, and she commanded a huge and loyal following. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, once said of her: “Who am I, a mere prime minister, before this queen of song?” Subbulakshmi traveled widely, performing in Britain, France and the United States — including at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 1998, she was presented with India’s highest civilian award, the “Bharat Ratna,” for her contribution to Indian classical music. Subbulakshmi frequently performed for the rich and powerful, but she led a simple and private life. Indian freedom fighter C. Rajagopalachari wrote a song for Subbulakshmi to sing at the United Nations in 1966 that seemed to sum up her philosophy of life: “I have no complaints, Lord Krishna, no complaints at all.”

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