Thrissur: That evergreen romantic voice has ceased. The voice that shaped the spring of songs through immortal melodies, the soulful voice of Malayalam’s beloved singer P. Jayachandran (80), has left this world. His deep voice, which touched hearts through cinematic songs, devotional melodies and light music, has left an indelible mark on an era of Malayalam music. Over the span of five decades, he recorded more than 16,000 beautiful songs.

He passed away at 7:45 PM on Thursday at a private hospital in Thrissur. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer for a long time. On Thursday evening, after experiencing physical discomfort at home, he was rushed to the hospital. The funeral will take place on Friday evening at his home in Chennamangalam Paliyath, Thrissur. The body will be brought to his house in Poonkunnam, Thrissur, at 8 AM. Public viewing will be held from 10 AM to 12 PM at the Thrissur Sangeetha Nataka Academy.

His voice resonated with the love, separation, joy, and sorrow of the Malayali people. He was honored five times with the Kerala State Award for Best Male Playback Singer and once with the National Award. In 1994, he won the Best Male Playback Singer award for his song "Kaathaalam Kaattuvazhi" from the Tamil film Kizhakku Seemaiyile. Jayachandran, with his haunting voice, took Tamil audiences by storm with his song “Raasaathi Unnai Kaanaathe Nenjam,” and there hasn’t been another Malayalam singer who shone as brightly in Tamil. Apart from Malayalam and Tamil, his voice transcended language barriers and reached audiences in Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi.

Born on March 3, 1944, in Ravipuram, Ernakulam, as the third of five children to Ravi Varma Kochaniyan Thampuran and Paliyath Subhadra Kunhamma, Jayachandran's musical journey began early. In 1958, when K. J. Yesudas won first place in classical music at the State School Youth Festival, Jayachandran won first place in mridangam.

He graduated in zoology from Irinjalakkuda Christ College and in 1966, started his career as a chemist at Parry Company in Chennai. In the same year, he sang his first song for the film Kunjalimarakkar, though the song that was released first was " Manjalayil Mungithorthi" in the film 'Kalithozhan'.  With that one song, Jayachandran’s journey was set, and he never looked back. His melodious voice, along with numerous heartfelt songs, made him an inseparable part of the hearts of Malayalis, who embraced him as their ‘Bhavagayakan’ (Voice of Emotions). He had the privilege of singing for almost all the major music composers in Malayalam, starting with Chidambaranath and extending to the new generation composers like B. K. Harinarayan. His rendition of the song "Rasathi Unnai Kanathe Nenjam..." became a massive hit in Tamil.

Among the many iconic songs he rendered, some of the unforgettable ones include "Anuraga Ganam pole" from Udyogam, "Nin Maniyarayile" from C.I.D. Naseer, "Malayala Bhasha than Madaka Bhangi' in  "Prethangalude Thazhvara" , "Ekantha padhikan njan" from Ummachu, "Sandhyakenthinu Sindhooram" from Maya, and from Chandhanathil Kadanjeduthoru (Shastram Jayichu Manushyan Thottu).

In 1986, he won the National Award for Best Male Playback Singer for his song "Shivashankara Sarva Sharanyavibho" from the film Sree Narayana Guru. He won the Kerala State Award for Best Male Playback Singer five times: in 1972 for Pani theeratha Veedu ("Neelagiriyude Sakhikale"), in 1978 for Bandhanam ("Raagam Shreeragam"), in 2000 for Niram ("Praayama Nammil Moham Nalki"), in 2004 for Thilakkam ("Neeyoru Puzhayaayi"), and in 2015 for Jilebi ("Njanoru Malayali").

Apart from his work in Malayalam, Jayachandran also made a significant impact in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi music. His debut Tamil song "Thangachchimazhal Pol" from Manipayal (1973) marked the beginning of his successful Tamil career. He also sang for over 20 Telugu films, starting with the 1982 film Evaru Veeru Evaru Veeru, and in Kannada, where he recorded songs for about 20 films.

In addition to film songs, Jayachandran was known for his devotional songs, which became classics. Songs from his album Pushpanjali are still cherished today. He also sang many Christian devotional albums in Tamil, such as Daiva Darshanam, Thaagam, and Paathai.

Jayachandran's voice stood out distinctively even in the presence of musical legends like K. J. Yesudas. As the great voices of the 90s slowly faded, Jayachandran too reduced his presence in the music scene. However, in 1999, with the release of the film Niram and the song "Praayama Nammil Moham Nalki," Jayachandran reclaimed his throne once more. This magic repeated in 2014. His contribution to Malayalam music remains a pivotal chapter in its history.

As time passed, Jayachandran's hit songs began to decrease. However, in the 1983 film Olanjalikkuruvii, the song "Olanjalikkuruvii..." took Kerala by storm. After a brief period away from the music scene due to illness, he made a comeback, performing a devotional song at Guruvayur in September 2024, before his passing.