Chin Naidoo, a talented musician and lyricist of Luxmi Stars, has passed away at 61 after battling stage 4 stomach cancer. His legacy includes over 200 songs and a profound impact on the Tamil music scene.
His nephew, Ashley Kisten, who manages the band, said Naidoo was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer about five months ago.
"He underwent treatment. During this time he was optimistic but that was just the person he was. He did not allow anything to bring him down. But his condition worsened and he passed away on Tuesday, while in hospital," said Kisten.
He said his dad, Vela Kisten, started the Luxmi Stars in 1986, and his uncle was the first member of the band.
"My uncle was a tabla player and lyricist. He also played the guitar and was on keyboard. All the band's original compositions were penned by him.
"In the 1990s, he came second in a Lotus FM song writing competition for Oru Nanbane. Some of the songs he penned that were crowd favourites were Amma Yenge, Nee, and Woreh Oru Dheepam. He last performed at a memorial for former Lotus FM presenter Mala Lutchmanan a few weeks ago."
Kisten described Naidoo as a "brilliant musician".
"He had a sound knowledge of the Tamil language. He could read and write it and composed more than 200 songs. He also directed the musicians for a while. As a person, he was humble and kind-hearted. He was always willing to both teach and learn."
He added that his uncle was the "original" tabla player and percussionist for Luxmi Entertainers.
Naidoo, of Phoenix, is survived by his children, Crystalleen Naidoo and Colleen Kandasamy.
His funeral will take place on Friday at the Shri Mariammen Temple hall in Phoenix from 11.30am to 3pm. It will then proceed to the Verulam Crematorium.
