NEW DELHI: Veteran Indian musician Bhupen Hazarika passed away in a Mumbai hospital on Saturday, November 5, from multi-organ failure, the Times of India reported.
Hazarika, 86, had been ill since June, when he had contracted pneumonia. Over the last few months his health deteriorated, until Saturday when his kidneys and lungs failed leading to his death.
Hazarika was famous for his magical compositions that used traditional Assamese music and lyrics, and is regarded as one of the greatest contemporary musicians of South Asia. He was, at one time or another - a poet, journalist, singer, lyricist, musician, filmmaker and writer.
Hazarika composed many Indian ballads, and also wrote his own lyrics and music. His songs featured in many Indian films such as in “Rudali” for which he composed “Dil Hoom Hoom Kare”. More recently he contributed to the film "Gandhi to Hitler", where he sang Gandhi's favourite bhajan (a Hindu religious song) “Vaishnav jan”.
His long-time companion and filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi was with him at his deathbed.
