Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (6 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was a Tamil Carnatic singer and actress. She sung in lots of different languages. Her first performance was at the Madras Music Academy. Her first recording was released when she was 10 years old. Her first film was Sevasadanam. She sung in it and acted. It was released in 1938. In 1997 her husband Kalki Sadasivam died. After this she didn't perform anymore. She was the first ever musician to get the Bharat Ratna, an India's highest civillian award. In September 2013 a statue of her was shown for the first time at Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswati auditorium. She died on December 11, 2004 at the age of 88. 