[SPB] and I first began communicating in the '80s, when we were both working for Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Raamlaxman. He always showed his affection. I recall receiving a letter [from him] for his daughter's wedding, and we subsequently exchanged letters for a brief period of time. I can't imagine that someone who was perfectly healthy in July, is now gone. On our Indian Singers' Rights Association (ISRA) chat group, we'd get updates on his health daily, and were eagerly awaiting the day he would have been taken off the ventilator.

Unfortunately, that never happened. Everyone knows that Laxmikant ji was a fan of Mohammed Rafi. Laxmikant ji told me that if there was anyone he admired after Rafi saab, it was SP Balasubrahmanyam because he was among the most versatile singers he had come across, and that every track they had created together had been memorable.