The music world mourns the loss of Zubeen Garg, best known for his hit ‘Ya Ali,’ who died at the age of 52. His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, has clarified that the singer died from a seizure while swimming, not from a scuba diving accident, as some reports had indicated. Garg was preparing to perform at the North East India Festival, creating a void in the music landscape.
Garima explained that Zubeen, along with a group including drummer Shekhar and Siddharth, were on a yacht. They swam together, with everyone wearing life jackets, and returned to the yacht. However, Zubeen went for another swim and experienced a seizure, which he had dealt with previously. His team members rescued him after noticing something unusual. He was kept in the ICU at Singapore General Hospital for around two hours.
Furthermore, Garima addressed FIRs that have been filed against Zubeen’s manager, Siddharth Sarma, asking for public support. In a video released on social media before the funeral, she spoke of Siddharth’s unwavering support, particularly during times of illness and during the pandemic. She requested fans to set aside any negative feelings towards Siddharth and asked that the FIRs against him be withdrawn. She also expressed her need for Siddharth’s help to manage Zubeen’s pending tasks.
Zubeen Garg was a well-known singer who performed in Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi, along with many other languages. He began his career in 1992, releasing his debut album ‘Anamika’. In 1993, he recorded the songs ‘Tumi Junu Pariba Hun’ and ‘Tumi Junaki Hubakh’. He released his first bihu album, Ujan Piriti, before moving to Mumbai in 1995. He made his debut in Bollywood with the Inipop album ‘Chandni Raat’. He sang for several movies, including ‘Gaddaar’, ‘Dil Se’, ‘Doli Saja Ke Rakhna’, ‘Fiza’, and ‘Kaante’. He married Garima Saikia in 2002. Born in Meghalaya, he considered himself irreligious and often expressed controversial opinions on caste and religion. Zubeen’s funeral preparations are underway, with his remains scheduled to arrive in Delhi at midnight.