Music doyen Bhupen Hazarika dead
Source: The Sangai Express / Press Trust of India
Mumbai, November 05 2011:
Legendary singer-com-poser Bhupen Hazarika, who wove a magical tapestry out of traditional Assamese music and lyrics, died here today following a prolonged illness.
"It was a multi-organ failure.
The end came around 4.30 pm," Jayanta Narayan Saha, in-charge of media relations at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital here, told PTI.
The 86-year-old Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner was undergoing treatment at the hospital since June 29, after he complained of breathlessness.
Since then he was confined to the hospital bed.
He had an infection and was on medical support and dialysis.
Hazarika's health deteriorated on October 23, after he developed pneumonia.
He had to undergo a minor surgery whereby doctors placed a food pipe into his system.
The balladeer who composed his own lyrics and music last lent his voice to the film "Gandhi To Hitler", where he sang Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajan 'Vaishnav jan' .
Hazarika was regarded as one of the greatest living cultural communicators of South Asia.
He had been a poet, journalist, singer, lyricist, musician, filmmaker and writer.
The Padma Bhushan awardee had celebrated his birthday this year in the ICU of the hospital on September 8 when he cut a cake and fans sang his favourite numbers.
According to the doctors, Hazarika died due to pneumonia-led multiple organ dysfunction.
"He was in the ICU for the past four months.
His condition was fluctuating.
For the last three or four days his health deteriorated and he became weak.
He was on ventilator and dialysis," said Dr Ram Narain.