I'm not one to usually post about celebrities, but this one's hit me really hard. SPB never felt like a celebrity far out of reach. He was in our homes, a part of the family, his voice echoing through the TV, Radio, the car rides and the late nights. My dad and I have always bonded over Music and SPB's voice is always a magnet that draws us together and we mused in fascination over the mannerisms, voice modulations and tiny inflections that he brings to the songs he sang. A fantastic voice artist, composer and actor - he wore many hats in his celebrated career. The way he says "Beautiful" in Sippi Irukudhu song, the way he emotes pain in "En Kadhale", the way he energizes people in Rajini introduction songs, the way he makes people who have never known love to feel what it is like to be in love, the way he laughs and cries and brings a thousand emotions into a single song, there can never be another SPB.

A humble man he was, I always enjoyed watching his interviews bringing joy to everyone he talks to. There are many stories of pranks he's played on his fellow singers - he was a child at heart. There is a story of how after recording "Malare Mounama" he heard Janaki amma's version and insisted on re-recording the song to match her level of competence - a true lover of music he was - he even named his children Charan and Pallavi. SPB kept me company all my life, from the lullabies my dad sang to me, to the life stories my mother told me. I even have memories of discussing the song "Satham Illadha Thanimai keten" with my grandmother. SPB made me laugh, he made me cry and he stayed up with me, the insomniac whenever I worked late into the night or simply couldn't sleep. Whatever experience I went through in my life so far, there's always been an SPB song that resonated with what I was feeling at the time. I'm writing this post as a tribute but it is turning out to be an outlet for me to experience catharsis as I'm still in shock - my words wavering between past tense and present tense, I still cannot think of him in the past tense. He was my first love in music, "Raagangal Pathinaaru Uruvaana varalaru naan padum bodhu arivaai amma" - how true it was for me! Farewell you legend! Rest in Peace. You'll live on forever in our collective memories.