Zubeen Garg, Beloved Assamese Star, Has Passed Away at 52

Zubeen Garg in 2023. Photo: Discographymen/CC BY-SA 4.0

Prolific singer-composer, film director and actor Zubeen Garg has died in Singapore. He was 52 years old.

While initial reports said Garg was scuba diving, the singer’s wife Garima Saikia Garg told The Times of India that he had a seizure attack while swimming at Lazarus Island.

Garg, a seasoned voice in Assamese music who was born in Tura, Meghalaya, was there to perform at the North East India Music Festival this weekend. India Today reports that despite being placed under “intensive medical care,” Garg died.

“Zubeen, along with seven or eight others, including drummer Shekhar and Sidhartha, went to the island on a yacht. They swam together and returned to the shore on the yacht. All of them were wearing life jackets. But Zubeen went to swim again and suffered a seizure attack. He suffered seizure attacks on several occasions earlier but escaped death. Other team members rescued him after seeing something unusual. He was kept in the ICU at Singapore General Hospital for about two hours,” said Garima Saikia-Garg told Times of India.

Garg released Assamese albums in the Nineties, going on to sing in several Bollywood movies in the following decades. Most famously, his national breakthrough came with “Ya Ali” from the 2006 movie ‘Gangster,’ composed by Pritam. With one foot in the spotlight for Bollywood songs, Garg charged on with Assamese, Bengali and Hindi pop music that made him a beloved voice in the North East.

Tributes poured in for Garg. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X, “Today Assam lost one of its favourite sons. I am in a loss of words to describe what Zubeen meant for the state. He has gone too early, this was not an age to go.”

Pritam, who worked with Garg, said on Instagram, “Zubeen losing his life in an accident is just the most terrible and saddest news. I’m still trying to come to terms with it… My deepest condolences to Garima and his family. Om Shanti.”

Fellow Assamese actor Adil Hussain said on X, “Devastated and shocked by the news of Zubeen Garg’s sudden death in an accident in Singapore. I am so very sad… His contribution to Assamese music and culture is extraordinary… He will live amongst us through his songs…”

Pop star Armaan Malik also paid respects to the seasoned voice on X, saying, “I am devastated and in disbelief. May his soul rest in peace.”