Zubeen Garg, renowned for his hit song ‘Ya Ali,’ passed away at 52. While initial reports suggested a scuba diving accident, his wife, Garima Saikia Garg, revealed the singer suffered a seizure while swimming. Garg was scheduled to perform at the North East India Festival on September 20 and 21. The news has left a significant void in the Indian music industry.
Garima explained that Zubeen, along with others, including drummer Shekhar and Siddharth, were on a yacht near an island. They swam together, returning to the shore on the yacht, all wearing life jackets. However, Zubeen went swimming again and experienced a seizure. He had suffered similar attacks before. Other team members rescued him after noticing something unusual. He was admitted to the ICU at Singapore General Hospital for approximately two hours.
Garima also addressed FIRs filed against Zubeen’s manager, Siddharth Sarma, and requested support for him. In a social media video ahead of the funeral, she appealed to fans to support him. She mentioned Siddharth’s support during a prior health crisis in 2020 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. She asked that any negative sentiments towards Siddharth be set aside and requested that FIRs against him be withdrawn. She emphasized that she needs Siddharth’s support to complete Zubeen’s unfinished tasks.
Zubeen Garg was a popular singer in Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi, among over 40 languages. He began his career in 1992 and released his debut album ‘Anamika’. He also released songs in 1993 including ‘Tumi Junu Pariba Hun’ and ‘Tumi Junaki Hubakh’. He moved to Mumbai in 1995 and released his first bihu album, Ujan Piriti. His Bollywood debut was with the Inipop album ‘Chandni Raat.’ He sang songs for films like ‘Gaddaar,’ ‘Dil Se,’ ‘Doli Saja Ke Rakhna,’ ‘Fiza,’ and ‘Kaante.’ He married fashion designer Garima Saikia in 2002. Born in Meghalaya to an Assamese Brahmin family, he identified as irreligious and expressed controversial views on caste and religion. The singer’s mortal remains are expected to arrive in Delhi at midnight. Funeral arrangements are underway.