Thavil maestro Karuna Moorthy, 52, passed away here on Wednesday.
A native of Chalaparambu in Vaikom, Karuna was admitted to a private hospital after his health condition worsened on Monday. The death occurred around 2.50 p.m. A musician of international repute, he is survived by wife Sreelatha Moorthy and two children. Cremation will be held at his residence at Vaikom at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Hailing from the family of the renowned Ambalappuzha brothers, Karuna was attracted to the magic of thavil from his childhood. He had received training from noted musicians including Tanjavur Govindaraj, Tiruvidaimarudur Venkatesh, Valyapatti Subramania, and Mannargudi Vasudevan. He had collaborated with world-class musicians including Steve Smith, Hakim Ludin, Carlos Santana, Zakhir Hussain, and Kadri Gopalnath. A teacher at the Kalapeetom at the Vaikom Temple, Karuna had won the honour of ‘Asthana Vidwan’ of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the passing of the artiste.
