The music world is mourning the loss of iconic Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, who died at 52 following a tragic scuba diving mishap in Singapore on Friday. The singer was in the country to perform at the North East India Festival and had even invited his fans to watch him perform live in his final Instagram post, shared just two days before his shocking death.
Zubeen Garg’s last Instagram post
The singer uploaded a video inviting fans in Singapore to the 4th North East India Festival. He said, “Hi, my friends from Singapore, I am coming to Singapore tomorrow, and we are organising an event called Northeast Festival there. I am Zubeen Garg from Bollywood and Assam, Northeast. And I’ll be coming to join you, and I invite all of you to join us for this cultural event. It’s a traditional event from the Northeast. We organise it in different places, and this time we are doing it in Suntec City, Singapore. All are invited; see you there. I’ll be performing and talking to you, and be there with you. Thank you and love you, Singapore.”
In the caption, Zubeen also revealed that he would be performing his popular Hindi, Bengali and Assamese songs on the evening of September 20 and would be present throughout the festival as its cultural brand ambassador.
The post was soon flooded with emotional messages after news of his death broke. One comment read, “Rest in peace, legend. No one can take your place.” Another said, “Rest easy, Zubeen da. We will all miss you.” A heartbroken fan wrote, “Please tell me it’s a lie. Can’t believe you are gone too soon.” Another simply said, “Still hard to believe.”
Zubeen Garg’s death
The singer rose to fame in Assam in the 1990s and became a household name nationwide with the success of his 2006 hit song Ya Ali. On Friday, Assam’s Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal confirmed the news of his death on X, writing, “Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of our beloved Zubeen Garg. Assam has lost not just a voice, but a heartbeat. Zubeen da was more than a singer, he was the pride of Assam and the nation, whose songs carried our culture, our emotions, and our spirit to every corner of the world.”
According to North East News, Zubeen was taking part in a scuba diving activity in Singapore when he fell into the sea. He was rescued and admitted to the ICU, where he later passed away. His death has come as a huge shock to the music industry and the nation. Music composer Pritam also mourned Zubeen’s passing, writing on X, “Zubeen losing his life in an accident is just the most terrible and saddest news. I’m still trying to come to terms with it… My deepest condolences to Garima and his family. Om Shanti.”
