He was 82 and is survived by his wife Haimavathi, three daughters and a son. Govinda Rao was under the tutelage of legendary Musiri Subramania Iyer in the Central College of Music, Chennai, where he later became a lecturer. He was also trained by Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar.
He made several valuable contributions to the field of music as a performing artiste, teacher and musicologist. He has authored many books on music and set to tune many compositions of Periasamy Thooran.
He is a recipient of prestigious awards like the Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the 'Sangita Kalanidhi' from the Music Academy.