Kolkata: The Bengal government on Wednesday paid last respect to renowned Bollywood singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, with a gun salute. The 53-year-old singer was on a two-day tour to Kolkata to perform in two college programmes.
Preliminary findings of the post-mortem conducted on him indicated that he died due to a cardiac arrest, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee supervised the proceedings herself and paid floral tributes to the late singer, whose body was kept at Rabindra Sadan for some time before being flown to Mumbai from Kolkata airport by an Air India flight at 5.15 pm.
Banerjee was seen consoling KK's wife and other family members who were present at the venue.
The singer's body was brought to Rabindra Sadan after a post-mortem examination was conducted at state-run SSKM Hospital earlier in the day, an official said.
His last rites will be performed at Muktidham Shamsham in Versova, which is near his residence in Mumbai.
Condoling his death, the Chief Minister tweeted: "The sudden demise of the Bollywood playback singer KK shocks and saddens us. My colleagues have been working since last night to ensure that all requisite support is given for necessary formalities, his rites and to his family now. My deep condolences."
KK passed away on Tuesday night after performing at a live show in the city.
Preliminary findings of the post-mortem report also said that the singer had prolonged cardiac issues. "The initial report suggested that the singer died because of myocardial infarction. There was no foul play behind his death. Clinical examination also found that the singer was having prolonged cardiac issues," the officer said, adding, that the final report will be available after 72 hours.
KK was declared "brought dead" by doctors of a hospital where he was taken after he "fell unconscious" upon his return to a hotel from a concert on Tuesday night, police had said.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death and started an investigation. As a part of the probe, officers have spoken to the hotel authorities and scrutinised CCTV footage.
On Tuesday evening while taking part in a concert at Nazrul Mancha, KK felt ill. He started sweating profusely and was seen mopping his face with a towel repeatedly. He even asked the organisers to switch off some of the spotlights.
After the show, on reaching the hotel where he was staying, KK was "almost mobbed" by fan followers, said a police officer.
The singer had allowed a couple of fan followers to take snaps with him but then he refused to carry on with the selfie session. He left the lobby and then went upstairs where he had reportedly stumbled and fallen on the floor. People who were with him informed the hotel authorities, the police officer said.
The autopsy was conducted at SSKM Hospital, police said.
"We are scrutinising CCTV footage to understand what had happened before he was taken to the hospital," the police officer said, adding that two persons have been questioned in connection with the case.
The hearse carrying his remains reached Rabindra Sadan at around 2.30 pm. The Chief Minister, Mayor Firhad Hakim, Minister of Information and Cultural Affairs Indranil Sen, Trinamool Congress MLA from Ballygunge Babul Supriyo and Shantanu Sen, MP, placed floral wreaths on the coffin.
Banerjee was seen consoling the singer's wife Jyothy Krishna and his son. They broke down in front of KK's photograph kept near the staircase of Rabindra Sadan.
Banerjee was seen arranging the floral wreaths so that the singer's face could be seen through the glass slit made at one end of the coffin.
His wife broke down while placing the wreath on her husband's coffin.
KK's death has shaken everyone, including the people who were present during his last performance. Even on Wednesday, scores of KK's fans had gathered at Rabindra Sadan to watch their favourite singer for one last time.
On Wednesday afternoon, Joint Commissioner of Police (Jt. CP), Crime, Murlidhar and Deputy Commissioner (DC), Central, Rupesh Kumar went to the five-star hotel where KK was staying during his visit to the city. Police questioned the shift manager of the hotel who was on duty on Tuesday night. Also, forensic experts collected samples from his room. Sources informed that the preliminary report of the autopsy indicated heart-related issues of the singer..