Suffering from spinal cancer, he died on 24 June 2012,[1] survived by his wife Sukhjinder Kaur, son Gurtej Singh and two daughters Kanwardeep Kaur and Kirandeep Kaur, and students Rakhi Hundal, Anoop Sidhu.
[1][2] He was cremated at his village of Jamalpur in Ludhiana district.
Gill was born on 13 February 1942[2] in a Sikh family, to father S. Mehar Singh Gill (Lambarhdar) and mother Gurdial Kaur,[1] in the Gurusar (Chak no.
[1][2] He married Sukhjinder Kaur in 1970; the couple had one son and two daughters.
[1] Karnail Singh learned folk music from noted Punjabi singer Ustad Harcharan Grewal, Shaukin Jatt, Master Beer Chand and classical music from Ustad Jaswant Bhanwra[2][3] and recorded his first songs record by HMV Gaddi Charhdi Bhna Laye Gode, Cha Muklave Da and Melne Nach Lai Ni De de Shauk De Gerhe", in 1963 and released in 1964 written by Hardev Dilgir (also known as Dev Tharike Wala).