Music legend Ustad Rashid Khan, who was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer at a hospital in Kolkata, passed away on Wednesday (9 January). He was 55.
"We tried our best but failed. He passed away at around 3:45 PM," said an official of the hospital where Khan was admitted.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered her condolences and said, "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."
Khan's health deteriorated after he suffered a cerebral attack last month.
Born in Uttar Pradesh's Badayun Khan, who is the nephew of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, received his initial training from his maternal grand-uncle Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan.
At the age of 11, Rashid Khan staged his debut concert, and in the subsequent year, 1978, he performed at an ITC concert in Delhi. In April 1980, when Nissar Hussain Khan transitioned to the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) in Calcutta, Rashid Khan, at the age of 14, also became a part of the academy.
He blended classical Hindustani music with other genres and also engaged in experimental collaborations, including concerts with instrumentalist Louis Banks.
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