Legendary classical singer and commonly referred as Shehenshah-e-Ghazal, Mehdi Hassan Khan, who was ailing for past few years, passed away at Agha Khan Hospital Karachi earlier today (13th June 2012).
The legendary singer was suffering from lung infection for quite a few years and thus had breathing issues and was on ventilator in the ICU of the hospital. He aged 84 at the time of his death.
Born in 1927 in Indian state of Rajasthan, Hassan migrated to Pakistan with his family at the time of partition and also suffered severe financial hardships earlier in his professional life but got his breakthrough when started singing for Radio Pakistan in 1957.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani showed his severe grief and sorrow on the death of Mehdi Hassan and in the official statement issued from prime minister secretariat stated, “He was an Icon who mesmerized music lovers not only in Pakistan but also in the subcontinent for many decades.”
Other politicians including chief ministers of all the provinces and leaders of almost all the leading and small political parties also expressed their sorrow and grief on the death of Mehdi Hassan.
