Heaping encomiums on legendary music director M S Viswanathan who passed away here, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today expressed regret that the musician was deprived of the prestigious Padma awards despite she herself making pleas since 1991.


Jayalalithaa said that MSV, as Viswanathan was fondly addressed, was hailed as the 'King of Melody' and remained a legend in Tamil cinema. She expressed grief over his demise, recalling that he was a loving, humble, affable and spiritual person, whose musical journey had started at the age of 13.