Chennai: Veteran playback singer PB Srinivas, known for crooning thousands of chartbusters in southern languages, died at his residence in Chennai on Sunday. He was 82.

“He was not keeping well for the last few days. He had difficulty in breathing. He passed away at his residence in Saidapet,” a family member of Srinivas said.

Srinivas approximately sang over 3,000 songs in a career spanning over four decades. He sang most songs for Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Kannada actor Rajkumar. Some of his best songs include Yaar yaar avar yaaro, Neeli kannula needala lona and Ellu hogalla. His last song was from the 2010 Tamil film Aayirathil Oruvan. He debuted as a singer with Hindi film Mr. Sampath and sang the duet Aji hum bharat ki naari with Geetha Dutt.

In fact, it is believed that Srinivas’s gentle voice suited Ganesan best. The duo produced some of the most memorable Tamil songs together including ‘Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham’ and ‘Mayakkama Thayakkama’ among many others. A native of Andhra Pradesh, his last song was in Tamil film ‘Ayirathil Oruvan’ in 2010.

Producer Nagendra Rao noticed his talent and offered him an opportunity to sing in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages. He is survived by two sons.