Music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan dies at 55
Renowned classical singer Ustad Rashid Khan, a member of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana and the great-grandson of its founder Inayat Hussain Khan, succumbed to prostate cancer at a Kolkata hospital on January 9, as reported by officials. At 55 years old, Ustad Rashid Khan leaves behind his wife, two sons, and a daughter.
Despite efforts by the medical team at the Kolkata-based hospital where he was undergoing treatment, Khan passed away around 3:45 PM, according to a statement from an official at the private hospital. Expressing deep sorrow, Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister, remarked on the profound loss to the country and the music fraternity.
Banerjee, standing beside Khan’s family members at the hospital, conveyed her disbelief at the news. The Chief Minister announced that Ustad Rashid Khan would be accorded a gun salute and state honors before his last rites, scheduled for Wednesday. The singer’s body will be placed at a mortuary for the day, allowing admirers to pay their respects at Rabindra Sadan on Wednesday.
The celebrated musician had been on ventilation, and his health had deteriorated following a cerebral attack last month. Ustad Rashid Khan’s demise marks a significant loss to the world of classical music and leaves a void that will be deeply felt across the nation.