Alleppey Ranganath, a well-known Malayalam music director, died at the age of 73.

Alleppey Ranganath, a well-known Malayalam music director and lyricist, died on Sunday night at the age of 73. He was being treated at Kottayam Medical College after testing positive for Covid-19 and experiencing respiratory problems. 

He won this year's 'Harivarasanam award' for composing over 2000 songs in Malayalam and Tamil, including devotional music. Ranganath has also studied Bharatanatyam and classical music, and his wife B Rajasri is a classical dancer and teacher.

Alleppey Ranganath made his debut as a music director for the film 'Jesus,' which was directed by P.A Thomas and released in 1973. In the film 'Jesus,' Ranganath penned the song 'Gaagulthaa Malakale.' Alleppey Ranganath has composed music for over 25 films, with K.J Yesudas singing the majority of his songs.

He's written music for films including 'Principal Olivil,' 'Mamalakalkkappurath,' 'Pappan Priyappetta Pappan,' 'Aarante Mulla Kochu Mulla,' and many others. The song 'Kaattil Kodum Kattil,' which he composed for the 1984 Malayalam film 'Aarante Mulla Kochu Mulla,' became popular and is now considered one of the best songs in the language. 

Apart from producing music, Alleppey Ranganath has authored around 42 stage plays, including 'Ayalathe Amma,' 'Sahadarmini,' 'Kudumbakshetram,' 'Amritasagaram,' and many others. He also garnered praise for the two songs he performed in the drama 'Kanaljalam.'

Alleppey Ranganath's fame grew significantly as a result of his Ayyappa songs, which were great hits in Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu.