Zubeen Garg, celebrated voice of Assam, dies at 52 in diving accident

Zubeen Garg, a celebrated Assamese singer whose music traversed languages and genres and who became a cultural icon, died on Thursday in Singapore after a scuba diving accident. He was 52.

Garg was in Singapore to perform at the Northeast Festival, scheduled to run September 19 to 21. Local authorities said he was rescued from the water and taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors placed him under intensive care but were unable to revive him.

His sudden death has left fans across India stunned and created a void in the Assamese music industry, where he was regarded as both a prolific artist and a popular stage performer. He was best known nationally for Ya Ali, a breakout hit from the 2006 Bollywood film Gangster.

Over a three-decade career, Garg recorded songs in more than 40 languages and dialects, with his most popular work in Assamese, Hindi, and Bengali. He was also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, playing more than a dozen instruments including the guitar, tabla, harmonium and mandolin. Widely regarded as the highest-paid singer in Assam, he had become a fixture in the state’s cultural life.

The singer’s health had been a matter of public concern in recent years. In May, he was hospitalized after experiencing chest pains at the premiere of an Assamese film in Guwahati.

Music ran in the family, though it was also marked by tragedy. His sister, Jongki Borthakur, a singer and actress, died in a car accident in 2002. In her memory, he released the album Xixhu the same year.

For many in Assam, Garg was more than an entertainer; he was an emblem of the region’s artistic identity. His loss, fans said, leaves a silence that will not be easily filled.