New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday expressed grief on the demise of well-known mandolin player Uppalapu Srinivas.

"PM recalled the mandolin maestro's dedication and long-standing contribution towards music and added that he will always be remembered," the prime minister's office said in a tweet.

Srinivas died Friday morning at a private hospital in Chennai. He was 45.

Born Feb 28, 1969 in Palakolu, Andhra Pradesh, Srinivas was a child prodigy. He picked up his father's mandolin at the age of six and started playing it.

He made his first public performance at the age of 9 when he played at the Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival in Gudivada. Since then, he performed at several music festivals, both nationally and internationally.

In his long career, he performed alongside several international artists such as Michael Brook, John McLaughlin, Trey Gunn and Nigel Kennedy.

In 1998, he was honoured with the Padma Shri award. Later in 2010, he was honoured with Sangeet Natak Academy Award.

He's also the recipient of the prestigious Sangeeta Ratna award.