Zubeen Garg dies in Singapore: Last video goes viral

Singapore, September 20: Zubeen Garg is dead. The singer, actor, and cultural force from Assam who gave Bollywood Ya Ali and his home state decades of music, died in Singapore on Friday. He was 52.

A Trip Cut Short

He had landed in Singapore barely two days earlier. The plan was to perform at the North East India Festival on September 20–21. He was also meeting investors, talking about ways to bring more attention and money into the Northeast.

Then came the accident. According to his manager Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg was taken to Singapore General Hospital after a medical emergency at sea. He was declared dead around 2:30 PM IST. Mahanta later said he hadn’t even known the singer was going out on a yacht with locals.

What Happened In The Water

Reports differ slightly, but witnesses say Garg went scuba diving. Something went wrong. He struggled to breathe, some suggest he had a seizure. He was pulled out, rushed to hospital, but doctors couldn’t bring him back.

It all happened quickly. Too quickly for anyone to process, let alone prevent.

Hours Before, A Song About Heaven

The cruelest detail is the video. Just hours before his death, Garg was filmed singing “Tears in Heaven.” A song about loss, written by Eric Clapton for his son. The video has now gone viral. Watching it is unsettling he looks calm, alive, lost in the music. Nobody in the room could have known what was about to follow.

Assam’s Voice, India’s Hitmaker

Outside Assam, most people knew him for Ya Ali. But that was one song in a career that defied easy counting. He sang in Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Marathi and more. He recorded thousands of songs. He acted. He composed. He spoke out when he felt like it.

For Assamese fans, he was never just a playback singer. He was part of their lives. His music played in protests, at weddings, in tea gardens, on college campuses. He carried forward the legacy of Bhupen Hazarika, but with his own restless energy folk mixed with pop, tenderness mixed with rage.

Grief Back Home

The news hit Guwahati hard. By evening, people were on the streets, lighting candles, playing his music on loudspeakers. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called him “the voice of a generation.” Online, fans and fellow musicians poured out tributes, sharing shaky concert clips and old album covers.

For many in Assam, the loss feels personal. He wasn’t just a star. He was theirs.

Questions Waiting For Answers

Amid the mourning, questions linger. Why was the outing off the radar of his team? Were safety measures in place? Could faster medical help have saved him? Indian artists abroad often travel without proper emergency arrangements. Garg’s death may force those issues into the open.

But those are debates for later. For now, it’s shock, grief, and the sound of his voice everywhere you turn.

One Last Journey Home

His body is expected to be flown back soon. The funeral in Guwahati will draw crowds, maybe in the tens of thousands. The Assam government will likely give him state honours. But the real farewell will come from ordinary fans singing his songs one last time.

Zubeen Garg was never polished, never predictable. That was the point. He sang the way people actually live imperfect, intense, a little chaotic. And that’s what made him unforgettable.

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Ayesha Khan

Entertainment Correspondent – Ayesha@hindustanherald.in – Web

Covers films, television, streaming, and celebrity culture with a focus on storytelling trends.

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