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Pakistan singing legend Mehdi Hassan dies in Karachi Pakistan singing legend Mehdi Hassan dies
(about 3 hours later)
Pakistani singing legend Mehdi Hassan has died of multiple organ failure at the age of 84. Tributes have been paid to Pakistani singing legend Mehdi Hassan who has died of multiple organ failure aged 84.
The singer, hugely popular in India as well, was admitted to the Agha Khan Hospital in the southern port city of Karachi a few days ago.The singer, hugely popular in India as well, was admitted to the Agha Khan Hospital in the southern port city of Karachi a few days ago.
Hundreds of fans gathered at the hospital after learning of his death, reports Indian news agency PTI. TV channels broadcast live from the hospital and hundreds of fans gathered there on learning of his death.
Hasan began his career more than 50 years ago, but once he achieved fame he was seen as the "king of ghazal". Hassan's career spanned 50 years. He came to be known as "king of ghazals", traditional laments for lost love.
Ghazal, a genre of music specific to South Asia and parts of the Middle East, usually expresses sadness or love. It has been around for more than 400 years. Ghazal, a genre of music specific to South Asia and parts of the Middle East, has been around for more than 400 years.
Hassan also achieved huge commercial success, providing music for many South Asian films.
On learning of his death, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called Hassan "an icon who mesmerised music lovers" in Pakistan and the sub-continent for decades, AFP news agency reports.
Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar once likened his songs to the "voice of god".Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar once likened his songs to the "voice of god".
But after he entered the music industry, he had to wait for several years to get his big break. 'End of an era'
Hassan was born into a family of traditional musicians in 1927 at Luna village in India's Rajasthan state. Hassan was born into a family of traditional musicians in 1927 at Luna village in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
His family migrated to Pakistan in 1947 at the time of partition.His family migrated to Pakistan in 1947 at the time of partition.
He cut back on his performances in the late 1980s due to illness, which included a serious lung condition. He started out as a bicycle and auto mechanic and it took several years for him to get his big break after entering the music industry.
The government of India's Rajasthan state even offered to help Hasan get treatment in India. In 1957, he got his first opportunity on Radio Pakistan as a classical "thumri" singer.
He last Rajasthan in 2000 when the state government invited him for a convention of non-resident Rajasthanis. During the next three decades, he sang hundreds of songs for the Pakistani movies, scoring dozens of hits that were as popular in Pakistan as elsewhere across south Asia.
Subsequently, music circles in Pakistan were to discover his talent for ghazal singing.
Hassan was interviewed in 1989 by the BBC Hindi service. He told them about the history of ghazal singing in his family.
"We belong to the traditional Kalamt family and mine is the 16th generation which is into ghazal," he said.
"My ancestors use to regale the Royals of Jaipur, Rajasthan in India. We still have remains of our home around the Amber Fort. And my earlier generations were gifted by the princely state of Jaipur to another royal household called Jhunjhunu in the faraway desert.
"But be it then or now, India or Pakistan, our music is the same, full of devotion."
Hassan became a Pakistani cultural ambassador who visited India.
He cut back on his performances in the late 1980s due to illness, which included a serious lung condition. The severity of his illness forced him to give up all singing by the late-1990s.
In 2010, however, he recorded a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, a long-time admirer, for an album called Sarhadein (Borders), which was released in 2011.
Mehdi Hassan recorded his part of the song in Karachi, while Lata Mangeshkar's part was recorded in Mumbai.
The Press Trust of India said an era of ghazal singing had come to an end.
"The demise of the India-born Pakistani ghazal maestro was a huge loss to the world of music and left a void that can never be filled," it reported.