MUMBAI: Ahead of the funeral of legendary singer Pankaj Udhas, several celebrities arrived at his residence in Mumbai to pay their condolences to the bereaved family.
Musicians Shankar Mahadevan and Ustad Zakir Hussain were spotted arriving at the house of the singer, who passed away on February 26 after a period of prolonged illness.
Recalling the Ghazal maestro, Mahadevan said, “He had a positive approach towards everything in life. May God give his family abundant strength to bear this big loss. I am in a state of shock”.
A Padma Shri recipient, Pankaj Udhas passed away on Monday at the age of 72. The news of his demise was confirmed by his family via a statement. “With profound sadness, we inform you of the passing of Padmashri Pankaj Udhas on February 26th due to a prolonged illness. — The Udhas Family,” the statement read.
Pankaj Udhas was born on May 17, 1951, in Jetpur, Gujarat. In addition to ghazals, he was well-known for his film work. In 1980, he gained widespread popularity for his solo ghazal album ‘Aahat’. Later, he recorded other successes, including Mukarar (1981), Tarrannum (1982), Mehfil (1983), and many more.
Some of his popular renditions are ‘Chitthi Aayi Hai’, ‘Chandani Raat Mein’, ‘Na Kajre Ki Dhaar’, ‘Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein’, ‘Ek Taraf Uska Ghar’ and ‘Thodi Thodi Piya Karo’.
After learning about the singer’s demise fans and members of the music and film industry paid emotional and touching tributes to him on social media.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher, in a video message, said, “Pankaj Udhas ji. Why do some people leave like this? There are some people whom you seldom meet, but every time you’ve met them, you have beautiful memories of them. When you suddenly realize that they have left, their memories shroud your mind”.
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Kher referenced the popular song ‘Chitti Aayi Hai’ and said, “Ab chitti nahi aayegi’ (The letters won’t come anymore).” He shared, “I heard him sing this song many times. Back then, we met frequently. We even flew together twice, unplanned encounters on my way to America. He was a very tender, sweet, good-hearted person”. (ANI)