Rajinikanth paid his final respects to Tamil composer Deva, who died in Chennai on October 17 at the age of 75.

Deva’s son, musician Shrikanth Deva, said his father died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The actor appeared visibly emotional at Deva’s residence and did not speak to the media.

In a video message, Rajinikanth recalled their films Annamalai, Baashha and Arunachalam.

He also remembered Deva’s selfless response when he chose AR Rahman to score Padayappa.

Deva’s title-card music for Rajinikanth’s name became an iconic part of the actor’s screen identity.

Known as Thenisai Thendral, Deva composed music for more than 400 films across four South Indian languages.

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced a state funeral with full honours on October 18.

Read the full article for more details on Rajinikanth’s tribute to composer Deva.