MUMBAI: The Karnataka Assembly paid rich tributes by observing one-minute silence by its members to noted playback singer, S. P. Balasubramanyam, who passed away on Friday.

Leader of the Opposition, Siddaramaiah called him the soul of music of his times.

Kannada culture minister, C. T. Ravi described him as "Kalatapasvi".

Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri termed him a singer par excellence, film actor and senior MLA, Kumar Bangarappa asserted that his voice could match any hero. "He knew how to modulate his voice based on the hero's onscreen personality. My debut movie's first song was recorded by him. When we heard it, I could not believe that it matched every move of mine. That was SPB for us. He was an institution. We have lost a great talent," he said.

Several MLAs cutting across party lines, asserted Kannada music of 70s and 80s had become unforgettable. "Even to this date, if anyone hears those songs, it still feels fresh. We have a lot of memories attached with these songs. Duets songs sung by SPB and S. Janaki are timeless," recalled an MLA.

(Source: IANS)