POPULAR singer from Assam Zubeen Garg, best known for his ‘Ya Ali’ song, died in Singapore on Friday, while “swimming in the sea without a life jacket”. According to the High Commissioner of India in Singapore, Garg, who had gone with 17 others on a yacht trip, died while“swimming in the sea without a life jacket”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Singapore authorities are questioning people accompanying the singer and the autopsy will be conducted on Saturday, Sarma added. Initially, the organisers of the North East India Festival (NEIF), in which the singer was scheduled to participate, had said in a statement that the singer died while scuba diving.

 

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of Zubeen Garg’s passing. While scuba diving, he experienced breathing difficulties and was immediately given CPR before being rushed to Singapore General Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he was declared dead in the ICU around 2.30 pm IST,” a statement issued by organisers of the NEIF said. However, shortly after the statement, Chief Organiser of NEIF Shyamkanu Mahanta said that Zubeen had gone on a yacht trip with a few membersof thelocalAssamesecommunity when an ‘accident’ occurred which claimed his life. Meanwhile,anaudiorecording attributed to his wife, Garima Garg, went viral on socialmediain which she purportedly claimed that her husband had gone with people from the Assamese community to the sea, and while swimming, he had breathing problems and was rushed to the hospital, where he died. Theveracityof theaudioclip, however, could not be verified independently by PTI.

 

According toSingapore’s‘The StraitsTimes’report,policesaid they received a call for assistance at StJohn’s Island at 3.30 pm. A 52-year-old man was taken unconscious to the hospital, where he subsequently died, they said, adding that no foul play is suspected, according to the report. Zubeen had arrived in Singapore on Wednesday and was‘scheduled to be with us at thefestival tomorrow,meeting and interacting with people,’ Mahanta told PTI over the phone from the island country. The entire NEIF team was engagedin a businessmeeting withseniorSingaporeanindustrialists and policymakers at a hotel to facilitate investments in Northeast India, he said.

 

“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”, Mahanta said. The three-day festival,which was scheduled to begin on Friday, was cancelled following the tragedy. The 52-year-old Garg had mesmerized youth and elders alike for nearly three decades withhissongs and films,which had a universal appeal. Singer,musiccomposer,film director, and actor, Zubeen is credited with singing in over 40 languages and dialects. Still, it was the song ‘Ya Ali’ from the movie Gangster that brought him fame across the country.

 

 

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi onFriday condoled the death of Assam’s popular singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore. ‘Shocked by the sudden demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg. He will be remembered forhisrichcontribution to music,” the PM posted on ‘X’. “His renditions were very popularamongpeopleacross all walks of life.Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” he said.