President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday condoled the death of noted Carnatic musician M. Balamuralikrishna and said the “nation has lost a genius”.

“I am sad to learn about the passing away of the doyen of Carnatic music, Balamuralikrishna,” the President said in a condolence message to his wife Annapurna.

“I pray to Almighty to give you and your family the strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss,” he said.

The 86-year-old passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. He was ailing for some time.

The President said Balamuralikrishna, a child prodigy, enthralled music lovers in India and abroad with his unparalleled talent and marvellous compositions in various languages like Telugu, Sanskrit, Kannada and Tamil for around seven decades.

He said Balamuralikrishna was known for his non-conformism, spirit of experimentation and abundant creativity.

“He innovated the tala system and the Carnatic music system without disturbing its rich tradition. He was also involved in extensive research into music therapy.”