Bengaluru: Veteran drummer and musician Deva, who worked on more than 800 films, died at his residence in Bengaluru Saturday night following a prolonged illness. He was 64.Deva had been suffering from health problems for more than three years and suffered a stroke in June. He later developed gangrene, leading to the amputation of his right leg up to the knee. He had been admitted to hospital for around 25 days and was discharged about three months ago after his condition improved somewhat.Deva (K Devendra Kumar) played percussion and provided background scores for more than 800 films. His work included films featuring Rajkumar, Shankar Nag, Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh and Puneeth Rajkumar. He worked with composers including Ilaiyaraaja, Hamsalekha and Gurukiran, besides several other prominent music directors. He was also known as ‘Sivamani of Kannada cinema’.He had been undergoing physiotherapy and continued playing the drums using prosthetics, according to his family. Videos of Deva playing the drums with a stick even while on his hospital bed have surfaced on social media. He had been reducing his food intake over the past month and became critically ill over the last two days. Doctors had advised his family that there was little hope of his survival.Senior musicians from the city paid a musical tribute to Deva on Sunday, performing percussion beats beside his body at his residence in RR Nagar.Royal Challengers Bengaluru also mourned his death, recalling his presence from the team’s first IPL game at Chinnaswamy Stadium and describing his drums as a familiar part of its match-day experience.A funeral Mass was held at St Joseph’s Church, Briand Square, Chamarajpet.Deva’s career also included live orchestra performances and stage shows, where he remained a familiar presence among musicians and audiences in Bengaluru. His contribution to film recordings and live music spanned several decades and brought his percussion work to audiences across generations.
