Zubeen Garg, the singer celebrated for the song ‘Ya Ali’, has passed away at 52. His wife, Garima Saikia Garg, has clarified that the cause of death was a seizure experienced while swimming, not a scuba diving accident. The singer was slated to perform at the North East India Festival on September 20 and 21, leaving a void in the music industry.
Garima, in a statement, described the events leading up to the tragedy. Zubeen and a group, including drummer Shekhar and Sidhartha, were on a yacht near an island. They swam together, wearing life jackets, and returned to the yacht. However, Zubeen chose to swim again and suffered a seizure. He had experienced seizures before, but this time, he could not be saved. His team members rescued him, and he was admitted to the ICU at Singapore General Hospital for approximately two hours.
Garima also addressed the FIRs against Zubeen’s manager, Siddharth Sarma, and appealed for public support. In a video shared on social media before the funeral, she spoke of Siddharth’s long-standing loyalty and help. She highlighted Siddharth’s support during a 2020 health issue and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Garima requested that people set aside any negative thoughts about Siddharth and requested the withdrawal of all FIRs against him, stating her need for his help in managing Zubeen’s unfinished work.
Zubeen Garg was a renowned singer in Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi, along with other languages. His professional singing career began in 1992 with the album ‘Anamika’. He later recorded songs ‘Tumi Junu Pariba Hun’ and ‘Tumi Junaki Hubakh’ in 1993. He released his first bihu album, Ujan Piriti, before relocating to Mumbai in 1995. He made his Bollywood debut with the Inipop album ‘Chandni Raat’. He contributed to films, including ‘Gaddaar,’ ‘Dil Se,’ ‘Doli Saja Ke Rakhna,’ ‘Fiza,’ and ‘Kaante.’ He married Garima Saikia in 2002. Born in Meghalaya, he identified as irreligious. He expressed opinions on caste and religion that led to controversy. Zubeen’s mortal remains are expected to arrive in Delhi at midnight.
