By Ayesha Khan 
New Delhi, October 22: The news broke quietly at first, a social media whisper, a few shocked texts among musicians before it rippled through the entire industry. Rishabh Tandon, the 35-year-old singer, composer and actor who performed under the name Faqeer, had died of a heart attack in Delhi.
He’d been home for a few months, caring for his ailing father. Friends said he’d been fine, posting regularly, even celebrating Karwa Chauth with his wife, Olesya Tandon, just days ago. The photos from that night, smiles, diyas, a warmth that felt unforced, are now being shared everywhere, each repost carrying a kind of disbelief: how could someone that alive be gone already?
A Voice That Chose Depth Over Noise
Tandon wasn’t a household name in the Bollywood sense, but in the Indian indie scene, “Faqeer” meant something. His songs, especially “Yeh Ashiqui” and “Ishq Fakeerana,” carried a stillness that fans found rare simple melodies, a searching tone, a refusal to chase trends.
“He was that guy who’d rather rewrite a verse ten times than release something half-true,” one Mumbai producer told Hindustan Times. “He wasn’t trying to go viral. He was trying to be honest.”
Tandon’s peers often described him as the calm in an industry that never stops spinning. He kept to himself, avoided parties, and turned down big-budget projects if they didn’t sit right. “Faqeer” wasn’t just a stage name it was his philosophy.
The Final Days
According to NDTV, Tandon had been in Delhi since August, staying with family while his father received treatment. He hadn’t performed live for months but was reportedly working on a small acoustic EP, something raw, just him and his guitar.
Nothing about his last days hinted at a health crisis. No visible exhaustion, no medical warnings that friends knew of. He’d posted from Karwa Chauth, looking fit and radiant beside Olesya, wishing his followers love and togetherness. That post has since flooded Instagram timelines, the comment section now a shrine of broken hearts.
Daijiworld reported that he was only 35, and family sources confirmed to Hindustan Times that the end came swiftly, a sudden cardiac arrest. He was taken to the hospital but declared dead on arrival.
Shockwaves Across The Music World
The independent music community has been reeling. Artists who came up alongside him, singer-songwriters, sound engineers, even indie film directors have been posting memories all morning.
“Rishabh’s voice had this ache that didn’t sound rehearsed,” wrote one collaborator. Another simply said, “He was light.”
In Mumbai’s rehearsal rooms and Delhi’s cafes, conversations have already shifted from mourning to worry about health, about burnout, about the number of young artists collapsing under invisible pressure.
A Larger, Uncomfortable Conversation
Tandon’s death adds to a grim list. Puneeth Rajkumar, KK, and Sidharth Shukla all gone too soon, all reportedly victims of cardiac events. Doctors keep repeating the same warnings: stress, late nights, skipped meals, untreated anxiety, the new normal that’s quietly lethal.
A cardiologist quoted in The Times of India put it bluntly: “It’s not just diet or smoking. It’s the life we’ve built relentless, restless, unpausing.”
For the entertainment world, where sleep is optional and deadlines never end, the reminders are growing louder. Production houses and record labels have begun talking about regular health screenings and counselling options, but implementation remains patchy.
A Life Away From The Spotlight
Despite the attention his death has drawn, Rishabh Tandon lived mostly outside the glare. He and Olesya were known to spend weekends hiking or at home hosting small jam sessions. He spoke often about silence, about needing to “disconnect to create.”
He avoided industry drama, barely used PR, and never courted tabloids. Even when his songs hit streaming charts, he was the first to downplay success. “Numbers don’t tell you if a song healed someone,” he once told a YouTube interviewer.
Those who worked with him say that a quality, a kind of quiet integrity is what they’ll miss most.
Mourning Online, Remembering Offline
By Tuesday afternoon, the hashtag #RememberFaqeer had begun trending. Fans built playlists, posted reels of his live sessions, and shared lyrics from Ishq Fakeerana, a song now echoing with unintended poignancy: “Pyaar faqeeron sa ho, bina mangey, bina milega.”
In Delhi, small vigils were reportedly held at Hauz Khas and Lodi Gardens. In Mumbai, a group of indie artists are planning a tribute concert next month.
There’s grief, yes, but also guilt, the kind that comes when a death feels preventable but no one quite knows how.
Beyond The Headlines
What makes Tandon’s death linger is how ordinary it feels a man in his thirties, talented, loved, apparently healthy, struck down without warning. It’s the kind of story India keeps hearing, especially post-pandemic, but still struggles to process.
As the country debates gym habits and genetics, what his friends keep returning to is the pressure: the constant performing, the endless need to stay visible, the exhaustion that comes from creating in a world that never switches off.
What Remains
Rishabh Tandon leaves behind a modest discography, a grieving family, and a fan base that found solace in his songs. He also leaves behind a reminder that the quiet ones, the ones who seem steady, might be the ones we should check in on more often.
In a career too short, he gave India’s indie scene something rare: sincerity without spectacle. His music, stripped of excess, felt like a conversation. And now, with him gone, it’s a conversation many wish they’d had in person.
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- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
Ananya Sharma and Ayesha Khan