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Mehdi Hassan, the Indian-born Pakistani singer, died on Wednesday
in the Pakistani city of Karachi at the age of 84. Mr. Hassan had been
suffering from multiple organ disorders for the past several years.
Mr. Hassan was born in the state of Rajasthan in pre-partition India and belonged to a family of musicians. He serenaded millions of fans across the globe for several decades with his rendition of ghazals, a genre of music popular in South Asia.
His style inspired many Indian musicians. Some of the ghazals that made him a household name in the subcontinent include, “Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa” and “Patta patta, boota boota.”
Mr. Hassan had performed in India on several occasions; his last concert in the country was held in 2000 . He sang a duet for an album with the legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, which was released in 2010.
Ms. Mangeshkar expressed grief at Mr. Hassan’s death, saying, “A voice like his may never be heard again,” The Express Tribune of Pakistan reported.
Actors, singers and politicians took to social media Web sites and Twitter to share their condolences.
The former cricketer and Pakistani politician Imran Khan wrote on Twitter : “Saddened to hear of the death of our legend Mehdi Hassan. His music will live on but we are poorer with his passing away.”
“RIP #Mehdi Hassan saab, huge loss to the world of music … your Voice is immortal though,” wrote the Indian musician Shankar Mahadevan on Twitter.
The Indian actor Anupam Kher remembered how he had “gate crashed” into the Pakistani embassy as a student to listen to Mr. Hassan, “his favorite ghazal singer,” he wrote on Twitter.
The office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a Twitter post: “Shri [Mr.] Hassan brought the sub-continental Sufi sensibilities to life through his songs.”
According to media reports, Mr. Hassan was to travel to India for treatment, but his deteriorating health condition did not allow him to do so.
Mr. Hassan was born in the state of Rajasthan in pre-partition India and belonged to a family of musicians. He serenaded millions of fans across the globe for several decades with his rendition of ghazals, a genre of music popular in South Asia.
His style inspired many Indian musicians. Some of the ghazals that made him a household name in the subcontinent include, “Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa” and “Patta patta, boota boota.”
Ms. Mangeshkar expressed grief at Mr. Hassan’s death, saying, “A voice like his may never be heard again,” The Express Tribune of Pakistan reported.
Actors, singers and politicians took to social media Web sites and Twitter to share their condolences.
The former cricketer and Pakistani politician Imran Khan wrote on Twitter : “Saddened to hear of the death of our legend Mehdi Hassan. His music will live on but we are poorer with his passing away.”
“RIP #Mehdi Hassan saab, huge loss to the world of music … your Voice is immortal though,” wrote the Indian musician Shankar Mahadevan on Twitter.
The Indian actor Anupam Kher remembered how he had “gate crashed” into the Pakistani embassy as a student to listen to Mr. Hassan, “his favorite ghazal singer,” he wrote on Twitter.
The office of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a Twitter post: “Shri [Mr.] Hassan brought the sub-continental Sufi sensibilities to life through his songs.”
According to media reports, Mr. Hassan was to travel to India for treatment, but his deteriorating health condition did not allow him to do so.