Hindustani classical maestro Ustad Rashid Khan dies after prolonged battle with cancer
Khan's body will be shifted to Rabindra Sadan from the mortuary on January 10 to allow his fans to pay their last respects to the music maestro
Ustad Rashid Khan, one of the doyens of Hindustani classical music, passed away on Tuesday (January 9) afternoon after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. He was 55.
The news of his death was confirmed by hospital officials. Khan's health condition deteriorated after a cerebral attack last month, following which he was put on ventilator support.
Khan is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
The classical singer, who belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana of Hindustani classical music, is the great-grandson of gharana founder Inayat Hussain Khan.
Condoling his death, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, "This is a great loss for the entire country and the entire music fraternity. Standing beside the family members she added that she was "in a lot of pain" and she could not believe that Rashid Khan is no more.
Earlier in a tweet, she said he was a "hugely respected vocalist with unparalleled genius in creating music, he made us proud by settling here and making Bengal his home".
Khan will be given a gun salute and state honours before his last rites will be performed on Wednesday, Mamata said.
Khan's body will be shifted to Rabindra Sadan from the mortuary on Wednesday so that his fans can pay their last respects to the musician.