Indian Ghazal king Singer jagjeet singh dead - Renowned Indian singer Jagjit Singh has died in the city of Mumbai, aged 70. - Nitish Kumar expresses shock and grief over Jagjit Singh's death - Local organiser mourns Jagjit Singh's death - Indian music maestro Jagjit Singh dies at 70 - Ghazal king Jagjit Singh passes away
Mr Singh, who was famed for his semi-classical ghazal songs, suffered from a stroke last month and had been in a coma in hospital ever since.
Popularly known as the "Ghazal King", Singh sang in a number of languages.
He is survived by his wife, Chitra Singh, who is also a leading ghazal singer. They had commercial success with songs recorded together in the 1970s and 1980s.
Singh's admirers say he revolutionised ghazal music and made it accessible to the wider public.
He also sang tracks for a number of popular movies, including Sarfarosh.
He was the first prominent ghazal singer from India in a genre dominated by Pakistani singers.
"He was the first real ghazal singer from India. Before him there were clones. The poetry in his music was beautiful," actor Anupam Kher said in a tribute.
"His music was gentle, soothing and went to your heart."
Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas said that Singh had made ghazal so accessible that his audiences "could sing along with him".
Jagjit Singh recorded more than 50 albums, many of them major commercial successes.
Ghazal king Jagjit Singh, the soul-stirring voice behind 'Hazaron khwaishe aisi', 'Ye kaghaz ki kashti and 'Jhuki jhuki si nazar', died this morning over a fortnight from a brain haemorrhage.
The 70-year-old singer, who along with wife Chitra almost rediscovered the ghazal genre in the 70s and 80s, was admitted to the Lilavati hospital on September 23 and was in coma since then.
"Jagjit Singh passed away at 8.10 am after a terrible hemorrhage," said Dr Sudhir Nandgaonkar, hospital spokesperson, here.
The day he was admitted, he was supposed to perform at a concert at the Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga, in Mumbai but the programme was cancelled after he was taken ill.
Despite a surgery, his condition did not improve and he remained on life support.
Singh, a Padma Bhushan recipient, was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, on February 8, 1941.
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After graduation, he shifted base to Mumbai, to explore a career in music. In the next decade and half, he earned nationwide fame as a ghazal singer and music composer. He sang in several languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali.
His personal life, though, was marked by a tragedy. His only son, Vivek, died in a car accident in 1990 when he was just 18.
The music world expressed grief on hearing the news of Jagjit Singh's death. Fellow ghazal singer, Pankaj Udhas, described Jagjit as an "extremely versatile singer". "I am devastated," Udhas said on phone from Pune.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar said Singh's death was a big loss for the music industry. "I knew him well. I hoped he would come out of the coma. But God willed otherwise."
Indian musician and composer Jagjit Singh, who won generations of fans by reviving the traditional genre of "ghazal" tunes, died on Monday in Mumbai at the age of 70, hospital officials said.
Singh, dubbed "The Ghazal King", had been in intensive care for three weeks after undergoing surgery when he fell seriously ill with a brain haemorrhage.
Ghazals are a poetic form of singing that originated in the Middle East and spread to India from the 12th century.
They were traditionally reserved for the elite, but Singh popularised the form in the 1970s and 1980s by pioneering a modern ghazal sound and using Western instruments alongside Indian classical ones.
"Unfortunately, he expired this morning," said Mohan Rajan, spokesman for the private Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.
As well as spreading the appeal of ghazal in India, Singh sang and composed for Bollywood, the Hindi-language film industry.
Singh will be best remembered for his music in the films "Prem Geet" (Love Song) in 1981 and "Arth" (Meaning) the following year.
He last sang in the low-budget film "Khushiyaan" (Happiness), which is due in cinemas on Friday.
Jagjit Singh was born to a poor family in the north Indian state of Rajasthan on February 8, 1941.
He took to singing at an early age and like millions of other migrants, travelled to Mumbai, then known as Bombay, to make his fortune.
After initial struggles singing advertising jingles and performing at parties, he found a foothold in regional-language and Bollywood cinema, going on to form a successful duo with his wife Chitra in the 1970s and 80s.
When Singh was taken to hospital on September 23, he had been about to sing at a concert in Mumbai with Pakistani ghazal legend Ghulam Ali.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday expressed profound shock and grief on the death of ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh in a Mumbai hospital on Monday.
"His death has caused irreparable loss to the music world", Kumar said in his condolence message.
"Singh is also credited with reaching ghazal close to a common man's heart", he said.
Dubai: Jagjit Singh was tipped to perform in Dubai next February after his concert at this year's Dubai Shopping Festival saw a packed house, said a local organiser on Monday morning.
Singh's last public performance in town was with award-winning composer Gulzar and had won rave reviews.
"He was so popular that we knew we had to bring him back again. We were in talks to bring him back during the same time next year. I am in a state of shock and can't even put words together," said Renuka Singh, Managing Director of Exquity Events. Their association dates more than a decade with her company organising more than eight concerts in Dubai with the Hosh Walon singer.
"He had magic in his voice. He's not a performer to us, he's like family. Even his fans in Dubai looked at him like their own. No one can take his place," said Singh, who had just booked her flights to Mumbai to be with the grieving family. Singh, who has sung in more than 60 films, is survived by his wife Chitra Singh.
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