Saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath dies at 69

Renowned saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath died at a private hospital here early on
Friday (October 11), family sources said.

He was 69 and had been ailing for some time. Gopalnath is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.

A Padma Shree awardee and one of the pioneers of music in the saxophone in the country, he had the distinction of being the first Carnatic musician to be invited in the BBC Promenade concert in the Royal Albert Hall at London in 1994.

Gopalnaths son, Manikanth Kadri is a noted music director.

Family sources said he was admitted to hospital here on Thursday after a complaint of back pain and breathed his last early Friday following a cardiac arrest.

Apart from the sobriquet Saxophone Chakravarty (Emperorof Saxophone), Gopalnath was bestowed with many awards such as Kendriya Sangeet Natak Akademi, Kalaimamani of
the Tamil Nadu government, Karnataka Kalasri, Gana Kala Bhushana and Naada Gandharva just to name a few.

He had played the saxaphone for Tamil film Duet helmed by the late director K Balachander with musical score by A R Rahman, popularising the otherwise lesser-known instrument among audience in Tamil Nadu.

Condoling his death, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa tweeted: “Kadri Gopalnaths death is an irreparable loss to the music world. I’m deeply saddened with his demise.”

ಅಂತಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಖ್ಯಾತಿಯ ಸ್ಯಾಕ್ಸೋಫೋನ್ ಕಲಾವಿದ ಪದ್ಮಶ್ರೀ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಕದ್ರಿ ಗೋಪಾಲನಾಥ್ ರವರ ನಿಧನ ದುಃಖ ತಂದಿದೆ. ಅವರ ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಶಾಂತಿ ಸಿಗಲಿ. ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ದುಃಖ ಸಹಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಭಗವಂತ ಕರುಣಿಸಲಿ. pic.twitter.com/0BYJgE05kE

— B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) October 11, 2019

The funeral will be held on Saturday after his elder son Guruprasad who is working in Kuwait reaches here.

Gopalnath’s body will be kept at the town hall here for the people to pay their last respects, sources said.