Music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan dies battling cancer at 55

The classical musician from Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana sang many Bengali songs and popular Bollywood hits

Ustad Rashid Khan Photo: Facebook

Celebrated Indian music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan has died at the age of 55 while undergoing treatment for prostate cancer at a hospital in Kolkata.

He was on a ventilator and receiving oxygen support during his death on Wednesday afternoon, the Hindustan Times reported.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mourned Khan, saying, "This is a great loss for the entire country and the entire music fraternity. I am in a lot of pain as I still can't believe that Rashid Khan is no more."

The musician's health took a downturn after experiencing a cerebral attack last month, according to the report.

The Hindustani classical musician from Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana initially received treatment at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital. However, at a subsequent stage, he opted to continue his treatment exclusively in Kolkata.

The great-grandson of gharana-founder Inayat Hussain Khan, Ustad Rashid Khan sang many Bengali songs and popular Bollywood hits such as "Tore bina mohe chain nahi" and "Aaoge jab tum o Sajna" from the movie 'Jab We Met’.

Some of the films where he lent his voice are 'My Name Is Khan', 'Raaj 3', 'Baapi Bari Ja', 'Kadambari', 'Shaadi Main Zaroor Anna', 'Manto' and 'Meetin Maasi'.

He was honoured with Padma Shri in 2006 and Bangabhusan in 2012. In 2022, he was awarded Padma Bhushan.