Guwahati, Sept 18: Celebrated Assamese singer and cultural icon Zubeen Garg(52) has died in Singapore after a tragic scuba diving accident.
According to reports, he was pulled out of the sea by Singapore police and taken to a nearby hospital. Despite being placed under intensive care, doctors were unable to revive him.
His passing has left fans and well-wishers across Assam and the Northeast in shock, many of whom had been fervently praying for his recovery since news of the accident first broke.
Zubeen had travelled to Singapore to attend the North East Festival, where he was scheduled to perform today.
His untimely demise marks the end of an era for the music and cultural landscape of the Northeast. For millions, his songs were not just music but an emotion — a bridge connecting people to their roots and identity.
Born Zubeen Borthakur on November 18, 1972, in Tura, Meghalaya, Zubeen Garg grew to become one of the most influential voices in Assam. A singer–songwriter, composer, actor and philanthropist, he worked across the Assamese, Hindi, and Bengali music and film industries, while also lending his voice to more than 40 languages and dialects.
He was born into an Assamese Brahmin family to Mohini Mohon Borthakur, a magistrate, lyricist and poet known by the pen name Kapil Thakur, and late Ily Borthakur, a singer. He was named after the renowned music composer Zubin Mehta. His younger sister, actress and singer Jonkey Borthakur, tragically died in a road accident in 2002, inspiring him to release the album Xixhu in her memory. Another sister, Dr. Palme Borthakur, is an academic.
Zubeen adopted his stage surname “Garg” in the 1990s, replacing his family name with his gotra.
A multi-instrumentalist who played 12 instruments—including guitar, tabla, dotara, harmonium, drums, and the rare anandalahari—he debuted with the Assamese album Anamika in 1992 before moving to Mumbai. He gained national fame with the hit Ya Ali from the 2006 film Gangster, which won him the Global Indian Film Award for Best Playback Singer. Over his career, he recorded for films such as Dil Se, Fiza, Kaante, and Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, while remaining a towering figure in Assamese music.
Regarded as Assam’s highest-paid singer, Garg received numerous honours, including an honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) degree from the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, in 2024.
Beyond music, he was deeply engaged in social causes. Through his Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, he contributed to flood relief, opened his Guwahati residence as a COVID Care Centre during the pandemic, and became a cultural voice during the anti-CAA movement.
On the personal front, Garg married fashion designer Garima Saikia from Golaghat, Assam, on February 4, 2002.
Known for his outspoken views, Garg often described himself as irreligious, rejecting caste and religion. In 2019, he courted controversy for remarks against Brahmins, for which he later apologised. In April 2024, during a Bihu concert, he stated that Krishna was not a god but a man, leading to a ban from the Majuli District Satra Mahasabha.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma mourned the singer, calling him “one of Assam’s favourite sons” whose voice “spoke directly to our minds and souls.” In a post on X, he said Zubeen’s passing was “tragic beyond words” and described him as a stalwart of Assamese culture whose works would inspire future generations. “Rest well, Zubeen! You will always be Assam’s favourite rockstar,” he wrote.
শব্দ আজি নিজেই নিজত আবদ্ধ
Today Assam lost one of its favourite sons. I am in a loss of words to describe what Zubeen meant for Assam. He has gone too early, this was not an age to go.
Zubeen’s voice had an unmatched ability to energise people and his music spoke directly to…
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 19, 2025
Also Read: Commercial activity in oil and tea belt in Assam was hit due to the economic blockade
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on-
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
