Telugu music composer Raj of Raj-Koti duo passes away, Chiranjeevi pays heartfelt tribute

Popular Telugu music composer Raj, from the music director duo Raj and Koti, has passed away. He was 68. He breathed his last in Hyderabad on Sunday. As per the sources, he died of cardiac-related issues.

Sources have revealed that he fell in the bathroom and suffered a cardiac arrest due to the shock, per Hindustan Times.Raj, whose real name was Thotakura Somaraju, was the son of the music director TV Raju.

His last rites will be performed on Monday (May 22). He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

The famous duo

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The Raj-Koti (Saluri Koteswara Rao) duo has been one of the most renowned faces of Telugu cinema. They started working together in the mid-1980s and made their debut with the Telugu film Pralaya Garjana. In the period of 13 years, the duo worked together in over 180 films and composed the music for many popular Telugu films like,Khaidi No 786 (1988), Bava Bamaridi (1993), Yamudiki Mogudu (1988), Muta Mestri (1993), and Hello Brother (1994), among others.

The duo's most popular songs were sung by the late singer SP Balasubramanian.

However, the duo split up in 1996, citing creative differences, and went on to compose individually.

Tributes pour in

Music composer Raj'ssudden death has sent shockwaves across the country. Soon after his death was confirmed, tributes started pouring in for the late music composer.

Remembering Raj, actor Chiranjeevi penned a heartfelt tribute: “It came as a shock to know that 'Raj' is no more in popular music director duo Raj-Koti. Raj, who is very talented, has played a major role in the success of my films by giving many wonderful popular songs for my films in the early stages of my career. It brought me closer to the audience. Raj's untimely demise is a great loss to the music world. My deepest condolences to all his fans and family members. (sic).”

Director Sai Rajesh tweeted: “Music Director #Raj sir is No more. It’s really heart breaking. I love the Raj-Koti combination to the core. I put all my efforts to bring that combination back for #BabyMovie. Even Raj sir agreed for that…His last attended function was #Baby 2nd song launch …He even gave…(sic).”

(With inputs from the agencies)