Vani Jayaram, born as Kalaivani was an legendary playback singer in South Indian cinema. She made her debut in Malayalam film industry by singing for the movie ‘Swapnam’. She collaborated with the biggest composers across industries and has delivered thousands of evergreen songs including – vasanthakala nadhigalile, orey naal unainaan, yezhu swarangalukul, megame megame, etc.

She started her career in the year 1971 and has spanned over five decades. Vani has recorded over 10,000 songs, in addition she has sung thousands of devotional songs and private albums. She has received the national award for the best playback singer female three times. She has also received state awards from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, and Odisha. Vani has worked with MS Ilaiyaraaja, RD Burman, KV Mahadevan, OP Nayyar and Madan Mohan, among others.

The acclaimed singer died at her house on Haddows Road, Nungambakkam in Chennai and reports are that she had an injury on her forehead. She was 78 years old. The Government of India recently announced that Vani Jayaram, who completed 50 years as a playback singer in 2021, would receive the Padma Bhushan award, the third-highest civilian award, for her contribution to music.