New Delhi: Hindustani classical vocalist Rashid Khan, whose soulful renditions like ‘Aogey jab tum saajna’ in the Bollywood hit Jab We Met, enthralled music lovers, died Tuesday after battling prostate cancer. He was 55.
Khan, who had been admitted in a hospital in Kolkata since last month, was out on ventilator support Monday night. His condition had reportedly deteriorated following a cerebral attack.
A singer of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of Hindustani classical music, he had also received accolades for his film songs, such as Allah Rahem in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name is Khan and Poore se zara sa in Mausam. A Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan recipient, he had begun his musical career as an 11-year-old.
Khan had initially undergone treatment in Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital, but later preferred to be treated in Kolkata — the city that had been his hometown for decades. An official of the Kolkata private hospital where Khan was admitted was quoted in the media as saying that he passed away Tuesday at 3.45 pm.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the hospital, told reporters, “This is a great loss for the entire country and the entire music fraternity. I am in a lot of pain as I still can’t believe that Rashid Khan is no more.”
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