By Khushi Srivastava

Copyright republicworld

Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, who was in Singapore for the Northeast Festival, died in a tragic scuba diving accident at 52. He was rushed to the hospital and placed under intensive care, but doctors could not save him. The singer was scheduled to perform at the festival today. Assam’s Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal confirmed the news, which has left his fans heartbroken. The family has yet to react.Zubeen Garg was born on November 18, 1972 and grew up in an artistic family. His father, Mohini Borthakur was a poet and lyricist and wrote under the name Kapil Thakur. His mother, Ily Borthakur, was a dancer, actress, and singer. His younger sister, Jonkey Borthakur, an actress and singer, tragically died in a car accident near Tezpur in 2002 while travelling for a stage show with her co-artists. Later, Garg released an album titled Xixu in her memory.Throughout his career, Zubeen has worked as a singer, music director, composer, lyricist, music producer, actor, film director, film producer, scriptwriter, and philanthropist. He has mainly contributed to Assamese, Bengali, and Bollywood music and films. A talented instrumentalist, he plays twelve instruments, including the dhol, dotara, drums, guitar, harmonica, harmonium, mandolin, keyboard, tabla, and various percussion instruments.Garg began his professional music career in 1992 when he released his debut album Anamika at the age of 19. He later brought out albums such as Maya, Asha, and Pakhi. In 1995, Garg moved to Mumbai to join the Bollywood music industry, where he recorded several Hindi albums and worked on films like Chandni Raat, Yuhi Kabhi, Fiza, and Kaante.His major breakthrough came with the film Gangster. The song Ya Ali from Gangster became one of the biggest hits of 2006. He also lent his voice to films like Gaddaar (1995), Dil Se (1998), Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), Fiza (2000), and Kaante (2002). The song earned him the Best Playback Singer award at the Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) in 2006.Zubeen Garg has sung over 32,000 songs in nearly 40 Indian languages. He is Assam’s highest-paid singer, and to honour him, a 20-foot-tall statue was installed. The singer himself unveiled it on 2 December 2022 during the Nazirating Tamuli Tourism Festival in Digboi. He has received many awards, including the 8th Assam State Film Awards, Filmfare Awards Assamese, and Rajasthan Film Festival Awards.Zubeen Garg is survived by his wife, Garrima Saikia Garg.Also Read: Assamese Singer Zubeen Garg Critical After Scuba Diving Accident In Singapore, Shifted To ICU