Kerala woke up on Tuesday to the untimely demise of Balabhaskar, 40, a violinist par excellence who tamed the tough instrument at a very young age.

He had been under intensive care at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram since the September 25 car crash that killed his two-year-old daughter Tejasvini and injured him, his wife Lakshmi and friend Arjun, who was driving the car.

Balabhaskar, who began performing at the age of 12 and composed music for a film at 17, passed away at 12.55am because of a massive cardiac arrest. A day after the accident, he had undergone a major surgery to correct his dislocated neck.

Lakshmi and Arjun continue to be under treatment for multiple fractures and wounds in the ICU of the same hospital.

After a post-mortem at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, Balabhaskar’s body was kept for a few hours at his alma mater, University College, where thousands of fans and admirers had been waiting.

The body was later taken to Kala Bhavan, where artistes paid homage. The funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was among those who laid a wreath on the casket and paid homage.

“His untimely death is very painful for all of us. This incident that came a week after last week’s accident and death of his daughter Tejasvini has caused immense sorrow to all Malayalis,” the chief minister wrote on Facebook.

On September 25, the couple had taken their child to a temple in Thrissur for a thanksgiving event since they were blessed with a baby after 16 years of marriage.

En route to his home in Thiruvananthapuram, 280km away, the Toyota Innova swerved to the wrong side of the road and rammed into a tree around 4.30am at Pallipuram, a suburb of the Kerala capital. Arjun is believed to have dozed off at the wheel.

While it was initially thought that Balabhaskar was sleeping in the rear seat, it has since been confirmed that he was in the front seat with his child on his lap.

The violinist suffered a dislocated neck and related spinal injuries and multiple fractures in his legs and ribs. Lakshmi, who was in the rear seat, suffered multiple fractures and cuts.

Hospital sources said Balabhaskar had opened his eyes a few times on Monday. But it is unlikely that he was told about the death of his child, they said.

The Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, who had got the Union healthy ministry to send a neurosurgeon from AIIMS in New Delhi to treat Balabhaskar, expressed grief. “A loss for the world of music and Thiruvananthapuram,” he tweeted.

A musician who limited his presence in the film industry by composing for just a handful of movies, Balabhaskar attained huge popularity with his stage shows where he displayed his mastery over the violin. A classically trained musician, he stepped into the entertainment industry during his student days at University College in Thiruvananthapuram.

There was an outpouring of grief on social media.

Actor Mohanlal tweeted in Malayalam: “Magical fingers that cast a spell…. Music is ceaseless.”

Singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan wrote: “Very sad. Very unfair! Just not able to come to terms with it. Our dearest #Balabhaskar has left us… deeply saddened…. A very sad day for music… our prayers are with the family.”

Percussionist Sivamani, with whom Balabhaskar had regularly played, expressed shock. “Devastating News! India has lost a Gem,” he tweeted.

Popular film director, screenwriter, singer and music composer Vineeth Sreenivasan wrote: “You were a genius. Your performances will always be remembered… and ur smile will stay in people’s hearts.”

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran tweeted: “Too soon. Too unfair.”