Zubeen Garg, the acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist who rose to national fame in India with the Bollywood smash hit ‘Ya Ali,’ sadly passed away on Friday in Singapore at the age of 52.
His death was officially confirmed by the North East India Festival in Singapore, an event where Mr. Garg was scheduled to perform over the weekend. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam State in India’s northeast, also announced the news during a press conference.
Chief Minister Sarma stated that Mr. Garg’s cause of death was drowning. The Singaporean government has not yet issued a public statement regarding the incident.
Mr. Garg’s musical style was a captivating fusion, blending the traditional folk sounds of Assam with contemporary pop and rock elements. Gifted with a powerful and expressive voice, he navigated romantic ballads and poignant, mournful tunes with equal ease. Throughout his remarkable career, he sang in countless languages and dialects, mastered multiple instruments, ventured into acting, composed film scores, and consistently captivated audiences in sold-out concert venues.
‘Ya Ali,’ his breakout hit, a song imbued with themes of love and profound longing, became a cornerstone of the 2006 Bollywood film ‘Gangster’ soundtrack.
As a playback singer for ‘Ya Ali’—a vocalist who records songs for actors to lip-sync onscreen—Mr. Garg earned the prestigious award for best playback singer at the 2006 Global Indian Film Awards.
Born in 1972 in Meghalaya, a northeastern state adjacent to Assam, Mr. Garg attended high school and college in Assam. However, he ultimately chose to dedicate himself fully to music, leaving his science degree incomplete.
His debut album, ‘Anamika,’ was released in 1992, marking the beginning of a prolific journey when he was just 19 years old.
Over nearly three decades, Mr. Garg’s career saw him record thousands of songs in numerous Indian languages. The immense success of ‘Ya Ali’ genuinely took him by surprise.
“I didn’t know it would become so big,” he once shared on an Indian television show in 2012. “It was good for me, too.”
For millions of his devoted fans, his distinctive voice offered solace and inspiration. His music beautifully celebrated the rich diversity of a region in India often marked by ethnic tensions. Despite his celebrity status, he was widely revered for his humble and grounded personality.
He preferred to reside primarily in Assam, a state nestled in the far northeastern Himalayan foothills, rather than relocating to Mumbai, the bustling coastal megacity on the other side of India that serves as the heart of Bollywood.
Mr. Garg was also an outspoken figure in politics. He joined a collective of Assamese singers in openly opposing a controversial 2019 citizenship law championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which had ignited deadly protests. Critics of the law viewed it as clear evidence of the government’s intent to transform India into a Hindu-majority state, marginalizing its 200 million minority Muslim citizens.
He even challenged religious orthodoxy. During a 2024 concert, he openly questioned a revered Hindu deity.
“Krishna is not a god,” he declared. “He was a man.”
Following these comments, he was reportedly asked to refrain from performing in Majuli, a significant seat of a Hindu sect in Assam, as local news outlets reported at the time.
Details regarding Mr. Garg’s surviving family members are not immediately available.
In 2024, the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, recognized Mr. Garg’s significant musical contributions by awarding him an honorary degree.
After his body was repatriated to Assam, millions of mourners lined the route from the airport to the stadium in Guwahati, Assam’s largest city. The entire state resonated with prayers and heartfelt tributes, and his cherished songs filled the air from loudspeakers in every alley as people gathered to grieve his loss.