Some people sing a song, and some people live it.

Tony David did both.

If you ever had the privilege of hearing him sing Oh Happy Day, you would have closed your eyes, felt his voice and the music seep into your soul, and, for a moment, believed you were in heaven itself.

But if you had the privilege of knowing Tony and many of us did, whether singing under him, or with him or listening to him, you wouldn’t need to close your eyes—you’d know you were already in the presence of something divine.

Tony, part of the Gatt Quartet from Chennai, didn’t just sing the solo part of Oh Happy Day—he lived it. Every day, for him, was a happy day. Not because life was perfect, not because there were no troubles, but because he knew—deep in his heart—that, as the song says, Jesus washed his sins away.

You couldn’t be sad around Tony. It was impossible. He had a way of making even the grumpiest person crack a smile, the most serious person chuckle, and the most lost soul feel found.

His tenor voice was powerful, but his heart—oh, his heart—was even more so.

He didn’t need a microphone to spread joy; his very presence was enough.

I remember once meeting him at an event where he had just performed. I told him, “Tony, that song of yours—every time you sing it, I feel like I should be repenting for something.”

Tony laughed, his hearty laughter shaking the air around us. “Good,” he said. “Means it’s working!”

And that was Tony. Never one to take himself too seriously, but always serious about the joy he spread.

Yesterday, Tony passed away.

But can we really say someone like him is gone?

No, I don’t think so.

People like Tony don’t just vanish into the pages of history. They remain—etched in the laughter they leave behind, in the music that still plays in our hearts, and in the faith, they lived so effortlessly.

His voice may be silent, but his song will never end.

As we say goodbye, let’s not mourn him with sadness but celebrate him with the same happiness he gave to the world.

Let’s remember him not with tears but with the kind of laughter he would have wanted.

So, Tony, my dear friend, this one’s for you, from each of us, whose lives you touched: Oh happy day, oh happy day, when Jesus washed our sins away! You sang it, you lived it, and now, we have no doubt—you are living it in eternity.

Rest well, dear friend. You were a melody we will never forget...!

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.