THRISSUR: P Jayachandran, the celebrated playback singer who recorded over 16,000 songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, died at the age of 80.

The singer died on Thursday evening while undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, hospital sources said.

Jayachandran was widely recognised for his contribution to Indian music, having won several awards for best playback singer.

He was also honoured with the Kerala government's prestigious J C Daniel Award.