By Grace Cyril,News18
Copyright news18
Assamese music legend Zubeen Garg has passed away after a tragic scuba diving accident in Singapore. Reports state that he was pulled out of the sea by Singapore police and rushed to a hospital, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. Doctors made every effort to save him, but despite their care and treatment, the beloved singer could not survive his injuries.
Zubeen Garg was in Singapore to attend the 4th North East India Festival, where he was scheduled to perform on September 20, 2025. Following his untimely demise, the organisers announced that the event has been cancelled. In a statement shared on Instagram, they expressed grief over the singer’s passing and confirmed the cancellation as a mark of respect.
North East India Festival cancelled
The statement read, “With profound grief, we share the heartbreaking news that our beloved icon, Zubeen Garg, passed away today at Singapore General Hospital around 2:30 PM. Zubeen had arrived in Singapore just the day before yesterday. He was scheduled to be with us at the festival tomorrow, meeting and interacting with people. Earlier today, our entire team was engaged in a business meeting with senior Singaporean industrialists and policymakers at the Shangri-La Hotel to facilitate investments in Northeast India.”
It further read, “During the meeting, we received a call from Zubeen’s manager informing us that he had met with an accident and had been rushed to Singapore General Hospital. We later learned that a few members of the local Assamese community had taken him on a yacht visit, of which we had no prior knowledge. On receiving the news, our team rushed immediately to the hospital and has since been working closely with the High Commission to complete the necessary procedures. This is a monumental loss, and words cannot express the depth of our grief. In light of this tragedy, we are cancelling the event. We are devastated and pray for the departed soul of Zubeen Garg. Om Shanti.”
Take a look:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Northeast Festival (@northeast.festival)
Also Read: Singer Zubeen Garg, Known For Bollywood And Assamese Hits, Dies In Singapore Scuba Diving Accident
Authorities in Singapore are reportedly investigating the incident.
Zubeen Garg’s last Instagram post
Just a day before his untimely death, he had reached out to fans with a heartfelt invitation to the 4th North East India Festival. In the post, he said, “Friends in Singapore, I will like to invite you to 4th North East India Festival in Suntec, Singapore during 20th and 21st September. Come and explore the exotic part of India, we are carrying quality agri, craft products, tea experience, dance forms, fashion shows and evening musical show presenting Rock bands, rappers from India’s North East. I will be there throughout the Festival as Cultural Brand Ambassador and will perform on 20th evening with my popular Hindi, Bengali and Assamese Songs. I would like to invite you all, it will be Saturday and Sunday and entry is free. All come and support us. Cheers!”
Take a look at his last video on Instagram here:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Zubeen Garg (@zubeen.garg)
Rest in peace, Zubeen Garg!
Zubeen mainly sang in Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi films and music, but his talent went far beyond. He had performed in more than 40 languages and dialects, including English, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali, Marathi, Malayalam, Odia, Kannada, Sanskrit, and many others.
He was not just a singer but also a gifted musician who could play 12 different instruments, such as the guitar, drums, tabla, harmonium, mandolin, keyboard, and more. Known as Assam’s highest-paid singer, he was loved and respected as one of the state’s greatest musicians.
On 4 February 2002, Zubeen married Garima Saikia, a fashion designer from Golaghat, Assam.
May his soul rest in peace.
