Chennai, Oct. 17 -- Veteran Tamil music composer Deva, renowned for his 'Gaana' songs, has passed away on Saturday.

Remembering the veteran music composer, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin paid his tributes on X.

"I was deeply shocked to hear the news of the passing of 'Thenisai Thendral' Deva. Deva possessed a pure, guileless heart, entirely free from jealousy, deceit, or cunning. He was instrumental in bringing the 'Gaana' genre into mainstream film music-to such an extent that the term 'Gaana' became synonymous with Deva himself. Coming from a simple rural background to Chennai, he rose to become one of the leading music directors in the South Indian film industry, serving as an...