Zubeen Garg

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Zubeen Garg, a National Treasure of Indian music, passed away on 19th September 2025, but his songs continue to echo in the hearts of millions to this day. This versatile lyricist, singer, and musician was born on 18th November 1972, and was a leading light in the Indian music scene for decades. He was a multi-talented writer, singer, and instrumentalist who mainly worked in the Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi film industries, effortlessly switching between numerous languages and dialects to give the masses what they wanted. Even today, he is fondly referred to in Assam and outside as Zubeen Da or the Heartthrob of Assam due to his music’s accessibility and relatability. 

Garg belonged to a cultured family, and music was his passion, which found an outlet very early in his life. His mother’s melodious voice was his first music teacher. He had an affinity for all musical instruments and mastered most of them with relative ease. His versatility as a musician had enabled him to perform both traditional and modern styles of Assamese music, as well as Bihu music and dance, with equal flair and ease. He could also perform classical music on the harmonium, tabla, and drums, as well as light-hearted music on the harmonica, mandolin, and dhol and dotara (percussion instruments). To his fans, he will always be remembered for his music that has imprints of both classical and folk traditions, as well as contemporary sounds. 

Garg made his mark in the music industry in the early 90s and became a household name in Assam after releasing his debut album. His songs have been tuned to the rhythms and patterns of the Assamese soil and have been in constant demand. Over the last three decades, he has recorded more than forty thousand songs, showcasing his extraordinary productivity. In addition to Assamese, he has sung in Bengali and Hindi in Bengali and Hindi cinema. He has recorded songs in more than forty languages and dialects, including Boro, Karbi, Mising, Garo, Nepali, Bhojpuri, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, English, and many others. Garg has been able to capture the hearts of millions because of his innate sense of rhythm and his ability to understand the emotional weight of each language he sings in. The songs he recorded in different languages and dialects were all performed in their authentic contexts, which resonated with the general public. As a result, his music reached a large audience and connected with people from various regions and cultures. 

The Hindi song “Ya Ali” from the movie Gangster was performed by him and became a massive hit. However, Garg always remained connected to his roots and dedicated a lot of his time to Assamese music, composing, writing lyrics, and participating in Bihu and other cultural events. He was one of the highest-paid singers in Assam for his contributions to the state’s cultural heritage, but money was never his primary motivation. Garg’s driving forces were music and its ability to uplift people’s hopes and aspirations. 

Garg was a prolific writer and starred in some movies, directed a few, and even performed in them. He was a man of the masses who used his fame and fortune to reach out to the less privileged sections of society through his trust. People who knew him described him as a charismatic person who could captivate a sold-out concert crowd of ten thousand people and then return as the village headman.

Garg’s music was a blend of Assamese tradition and contemporary elements, making it appealing to a large audience of young people. He had a unique humming style that was powerful and emotive, and his songs were mostly romantic, lyrical, and philosophical. What made his music so intriguing is that even if you didn’t understand the language the song was in, you could still grasp the message. 

Garg will always be remembered not only for his music but also for the decades of dedication to Assamese music and culture, which earned him a lasting place in the hearts of millions. In his own way, he has helped to bring Assamese music to a large audience, particularly in the Hindi film industry. He has also inspired thousands of Assamese people to embrace their cultural roots. In short, he will always be remembered for giving Indians a song and a melody that would continue to linger long after his death.

Zubeen’s songs have been performed throughout Assam, from the far reaches of Meghalaya to Mumbai’s film studios, and now they are being performed for the general public. It is fascinating to see how his music has been cherished by people of all ages and has been played on various occasions, from weddings and festivals to road trips and night falls. It will continue to be so because, in addition to being a vehicle for entertainment, it contains the essence of joy and keeps the listeners’ spirits high.

Early Life and Family

Zubeen Garg was born on 18 November 1972 in the Tura town in Meghalaya. His parents belonged to the Assamese Brahmin community of the region. The future singer was given his first name Zubeen in honour of the famed music conductor Zubin Mehta. He was initially known by his father’s name Borthakur, however, later he changed his surname back to Garg as it was the Brahmin gotra of his family.

His father was a magistrate. As a result, the family led a nomadic lifestyle due to his work. Consequently, Zubeen spent his early years wandering across the country between different places. His father’s profession also allowed him to pursue his passion for writing. Under the pseudonym Kapil Thakur, he published several poems and songs. Zubeen’s mother, Ily Borthakur, performed on stage and created songs for her son when he was growing up.

Zubeen’s older sister, Jonkie Borthakur, was an actress and a singer. She passed away in a road accident in February 2002 while on her way to a play in Sonitpur district. Her death caused great sadness within the family, and as a result, in October of the same year the family released an album named Sishu dedicated to her memory. 

The youngest of the siblings, Palme Borthakur, gave up a singing career and became an assistant professor of geography. Presently, she teaches at the University of Science and Technology located in Meghalaya as well as at Royal Global University.

Living at home with his sisters and parents provided Zubeen with an environment full of music, poetry, and constant travel. The support of his family, the love of his parents for the arts, and the encouragement of his sisters all contributed to his success. It appears that such a combination of circumstances and upbringing could influence anyone’s career path. The life and career of this notable Assamese singer serve as a powerful reminder that even the humblest beginnings can lead to great achievements if one has a sincere passion for what they do.

• Full Name: Zubeen Borthakur (He professionally adopted the family lineage title "Garg" from his gotra as his surname)
• Nick Name(s): Goldie, Zubeen da, Heartthrob of Assam, Humming Samrat

• Profession(s): 

  • Singer
  • Song Writer
  • Percussionist
  • Composer
  • Music Director
  • Music Producer
  • Lyricist
  • Multi-Instrumentalist
  • Actor
  • Film Director
  • Film Producer
  • Screen Writer
  • Poet
    
• Date of Birth: November 18, 1972
• Died: 19 September 2025 (aged 52) in Singapore
• Height: 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
• Weight: Approx. 70–75 kg (154–165 lbs)
• Eye Colour: Dark Brown
• Hair Colour: Black
• Home Town: Jorhat, Assam, India (Born in Tura, Meghalaya)
• School: Tamulpur Higher Secondary School (also studied at Carmel School, Jorhat, and Karimganj High School)
• College: B. Borooah College, Guwahati (also attended Jagannath Barooah College)
• Education Qualification: Under-Graduate (Enrolled in a Bachelor of Science program but dropped out to focus entirely on his music career)
• Religion: Hinduism (Born into an Assamese Brahmin family)
• Blood Group: O Positive
• Food Habit: Non-vegetarian (Deeply fond of authentic Assamese cuisine and traditional fish curries)
• Relationship: Married (Until his passing in 2025)
• Marital Status: Married (Married to fashion designer Garima Saikia on February 4, 2002)
• Siblings: Late Jonkie Borthakur (Younger sister, singer and actress who tragically passed away in a car accident in 2002), Dr. Palme Borthakur (Sister)
• Language Known: Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, English (Notably sang in over 40 different regional languages and dialects)
• Email ID: zubeendarg@gmail.com (Legacy Fan & Production contact)
• Favourite Actor: Amitabh Bachchan
• Favourite Singer: Zubin Mehta (His namesake and major musical inspiration), Kishore Kumar, Sachin Dev Burman
• Favourite Colour: Black / White
• Favourite Beverage: Red Tea / Traditional Assamese Black Tea
• Favourite Cricketer: Sachin Tendulkar

Education

Garg appeared at his secondary examinations at Carmel School, Jorhat. And then was admitted to Karimganj High School and Bijni Bandhab High School. But in 1989, he took his class X exam from Tamulpur Higher Secondary School, Nalbari. Same year he returned to Jorhat, to his ancestral village of Bongal Pukhuri. There he joined Jagannath Barooah College, to study higher secondary science. He gave up the studies to prepare for his singing career, after appearing for the higher secondary examination. And then got admitted to B. Borooah College in 1991, to study for a Bachelor of Science degree. However, he had to eventually give up college studies to concentrate on his music career.

Introduction to Music

Garg started learning music when he was three years old. His mother taught him to sing. He also learned music from a professional tabala player called Pandit Robin Banerjee for eleven years. Later, Guru Ramani Rai introduced him to Assamese folk music. From his school days, he has been composing his own songs. Garg has developed a deep interest in music because of his early musical learning and teaching by caring masters. This has made him grow to be a music lover and has been sharing his talent all his life.

Career

Beginning of Singing Career (1992–1995)

Zubeen Garg started his musical career in 1992 by releasing his first Assamese solo album, Anamika, with NK Production. That year he received a gold medal for his performance in a western song at a youth festival. His very first recorded songs were “Tumi Janu Pariba Hun”and “Tumi Junaki Hubakh” for an album named Ritu, which appeared only in 1993. Following Anamika were the albums Xopunor Xur (1992), Junaki Mon (1993), Maya (1994) and Asha (1995). Before moving to Mumbai in 1995, released his first Bihu album, Ujan Piriti, which was well accepted by the audience.

Bollywood Singing Career (1995–2024)

In the middle of 1995, Garg moved to Mumbai to make his way into the music industry. He released his first Indipop album, Chandni Raat, under his own label. In the following years, he was engaged in recording a number of Hindi cover and remix albums including Shradhaanjali Vol. 1, RE-MIX Tere Mere Beechmein, Chanda – 1996, Shradhaanjali Vol.2 – 1997, Shradhaanjali Vol.3 and Jalwa – 1998.

In November ’98, Garg released his second Indipop album Yuhi Kabhi . The album marked his first collaboration with actress Bhumika Chawla and also featured his first music video aired on Channel V in India. In the same year he started recording songs for movies. His earlier film songs include Gaddaar, Purani Kabar, Joubone Amoni Kore, Dil Se, Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, Fiza and Kaante .

In 2003 he provided his voice for the songs “Sapne Saare” and “Khwabon Ki” from the movie Mudda – The Issue, “Maango Agar Dil Se Toh Khuda” from Chupke Se, “Holi Re” from Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost and “Jo Pyar Tumne” from Jaal: The Trap.

His career took a different turn when he was invited to sing the song “Ya Ali” from the movie Gangster . The song fetched him the Best Playback Singer award at the Global Indian Film Awards in 2006.

In February 2007, he recorded “Jag Lal Lal Lal” with the renowned Ustad Sultan Khan for the movie Big Brother. On 29 th August 2007, Garg released his latest Hindi album Zindagi.

Bengali Singing Career (1997–2025)

Apart from his work in Bollywood and Assamese films, he has made his mark in the Bengali music industry. In 1997 he released his first Bengali album, Surer Upahar. This album featured lead vocals with Mausumi Saharia and background vocals by Mili Baruah and Sagarika, the sister of singer Shaan. 

In 2003 he sang two songs, “O Mon Bolaka” and “Abhilashi Mone,” for the film Mon. The following year he contributed three songs to the movie Shudhu Tumi and worked as its music director. He also recorded “O Bondhure” and “Lagena Bhalo” for the film Premi the same year. 

Later, in 2008, he sang popular tracks such as “Mon Mane Na” from the movie Mon Mane Na, “Piya Re Piya Re” from Chirodini Tumi Je Amar, and “Mon Jete Chay Shudhu” from Love Story.

Acting Career

Apart from singing, Garg has appeared and starred in movies as an actor and a director. His first work in the movie industry was the film Tumi Mor Matho Mor , released in early 2000 under NK Production. In addition to his singing career, Garg has participated in several films as an actor. Some of the movies include Prem Aru Prem (2002), Dinabandhu (2004), and Mon Jaai (2008). The following movies are Bhal Pabo Najanilu (2013), Gaane Ki Aane (2016), Mission China and Priyaar Priyo (2017), The Underworld (2018), Kanchanjangha (2019), Rajneeti (2022), Dr. Bezbaruah 2 (2023), Sikaar (2024), and Roi Roi Binale (2025).

Artistry

Musical Styles

Garg is an Assamese singer best known for his melodious music that seems to captivate the listeners’ minds and touch their hearts at the same time. His music is described as “soulful music” as he draws mostly from Assamese folk roots rather than India’s classical music traditions. Already at the start of his singing career, Garg was able to make folk melodies meet the popular music culture. He could also manage to create some Sufi-influenced tunes that gave the listener a spiritual vibe. In his early work, he successfully combined rock and Indian classical music with Assamese traditional music. This allowed Assamese music to gain popularity among a wider audience and offered fresh perspectives on the Indian classical music culture. At the same time, Garg’s early work created a Sufi-influenced music wave in Bollywood in the early 2000s. 

Garg’s 1992 work Anamika made him a celebrity in Assam as he demonstrated that it was possible to combine western musical instruments and musical culture with Assamese music. At the same time, he also managed to bring back the traditional Assamese music to the contemporary Assamese music scene. The traditional Assamese music had been deteriorating for quite some time, and Garg’s success in rerecording it allowed many folk songs to regain their popularity. Further, Garg expanded his musical horizons and went on a journey that would last him many years. He met almost 250 tribal communities in Assam, learned their folk music, and helped them save over five thousand folk songs. Garg was always quick to emphasise that he saw himself first and foremost as a folk singer who wanted to introduce people to the traditional music culture. 

Garg’s talent was indeed universal, as he could even record songs in many languages. He could switch between Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, and languages of many tribal groups of northeast India. That being said, the Assamese music culture has been very important to Garg. His songs always had a lyrical, romantic, and devotional character to them, and he could switch from the lilting Bihu melodies and rhythms to the most recent modern ballads with ease. He has performed numerous traditional Assamese songs, including borgeet, luko geet, and Bihu songs typical for the Assamese spring festival. He has also performed many traditional tribal folk songs, including oi ni:toms by Mising tribal people and Zikir songs of the Sufis. 

Garg has demonstrated his artistic power not only by performing Assamese folk songs in various languages and styles but also by criticizing the most pressing social issues. His songs, including those under the titles Xixhu and Mukti , addressed many controversial topics and did not always resonate well with the general audience. Some said that Garg’s songs resonated too much with the politically active people and that he had questionable moral values and failed to deliver social importance. Garg responded to these criticisms by saying that he did not see himself as a politician or an activist but that he simply used his music to express his feelings. He further claimed that art was entirely subjective and that he would never be responsible for what others felt when listening to his music. This response demonstrated Garg’s commitment to his art and his devotion to the spiritual aspect of music. 

Garg’s talent was so great that his work, the song “Ya Ali” from the Bollywood movie Gangster , attracted national attention in 2006. This song was composed by Pritam and became highly popular among Indian music lovers. Garg was quite surprised by the overall reaction to the song. The sudden popularity could have overshadowed his folk music, but it seems that Garg was quite content with the outcome. He further shared with the press (specifically PTI) that he was not willing to change his music to suit the general Indian music culture. Garg felt that the Bollywood music industry was changing at a slow pace, which meant that although new music styles and trends were emerging, most recording companies continued to stick to the same few music composers. Garg further explained that after “Ya Ali,” he started getting offers that would ultimately typecast him as a playback singer in Bollywood. He declined most of these offers, and he further claimed that he had gained a reputation for being difficult in the industry. However, this did not bother him because he knew he would never compromise his principles for the sake of an easy opportunity. He simply did not want to rush his career and only took music opportunities that he felt comfortable with on a personal level. 

Garg’s rich experience in the Indian music industry, including folk, classical, and modern music cultures, has demonstrated that his music always came from his heart. He never attempted to impose strict rules on himself on what his music should sound like or how it should follow specific traditions. This approach has made Garg a highly controversial figure in the music world. However, it also allowed him to produce some of the most exquisite music in Assam, India, and beyond. Garg always tried to find a unique blend of traditional Assamese music and contemporary music. The same approach helped him record folk songs in many languages, from Assamese to Bengali to Punjabi. Garg’s versatility allowed many non-Assamese music lovers to connect to Assamese folk music via his songs. It also allowed the Assamese music lovers to discover new dimensions of their local music culture. 

Garg’s artistic freedom and diversity have enabled him to create space for new music genres in Assam. Many young Assamese singers now seek to follow in the footsteps of Garg, an iconic folk singer-rebel who continues to create music in Assamese. Further, Garg’s music career has demonstrated that there is always demand for talented singers who can perform in Assamese. It also resonates with the local music lovers to keep them rooted in Assam’s folk music traditions. Thus, Garg’s music legacy is essential to the Assamese music culture as it promotes folk music and its values both locally and beyond.

Garg’s music has always been a reflection of his love for the Assamese folk music culture. His work allows for a broader audience to appreciate the Assamese folk songs, and his versatility keeps inspiring young music lovers. He has dedicated his life to preserving the Assamese music heritage while also introducing it to new generations of music lovers. Garg’s music will forever remain a solid legacy of the Assamese folk music culture, and his legacy lives on through his songs in Assamese that continue to captivate music lovers’ hearts.

Cinematic styles

Garg embarked on his film career as his songs were getting tremendous success. To him, cinema was an extension of his art as he tried to depict the same values through his films as he did through his music. He has written, directed, and starred in a slew of Assamese movies. He concentrated on stories that dealt with realistic themes rather than the traditional Indian musical film formula. His films highlighted Assamese identity, youth aspirations, societal contradictions, and hope for positive change. 

The reason for his transition from music to movies was explained by the young singer when he stated that he had been connected with cinema since his childhood days. His mother, a famous Assamese actress, Illy Borthakur, influenced him. So, he was quite confident about writing and directing his own films. Moreover, he wanted to challenge himself as a multi-talented person. 

When asked whether a singer can act well in films or not, Garg, quoting the legendary singer and actor Kishore Kumar, replied that it indeed depends on an individual’s caliber. In his words, he does not want to limit himself to a particular field. While Kumar enjoys dancing in music videos, Garg feels that nowadays, music directors want to expand their horizon by becoming singers, which, in many cases, does not result in the desired outcome. He particularly named Himesh Reshammiya as a successful music director turned singer. 

Thus, in his films and songs, Garg reflects his concerns about society, culture, and the youth. His works in both the music and film industries remain examples of art that conveys the artist’s intent to uplift society by focusing on its cultural values and traditions.

Influences

Garg embarked on his film career as his songs were getting tremendous success. To him, cinema was an extension of his art as he tried to depict the same values through his films as he did through his music. He has written, directed, and starred in a slew of Assamese movies. He concentrated on stories that dealt with realistic themes rather than the traditional Indian musical film formula. His films highlighted Assamese identity, youth aspirations, societal contradictions, and hope for positive change. 

The reason for his transition from music to movies was explained by the young singer when he stated that he had been connected with cinema since his childhood days. His mother, a famous Assamese actress, Illy Borthakur, influenced him. So, he was quite confident about writing and directing his own films. Moreover, he wanted to challenge himself as a multi-talented person. 

When asked whether a singer can act well in films or not, Garg, quoting the legendary singer and actor Kishore Kumar, replied that it indeed depends on an individual’s caliber. In his words, he does not want to limit himself to a particular field. While Kumar enjoys dancing in music videos, Garg feels that nowadays, music directors want to expand their horizon by becoming singers, which, in many cases, does not result in the desired outcome. He particularly named Himesh Reshammiya as a successful music director turned singer. 

Thus, in his films and songs, Garg reflects his concerns about society, culture, and the youth. His works in both the music and film industries remain examples of art that conveys the artist’s intent to uplift society by focusing on its cultural values and traditions.

Public Image

Zubeen Garg is an assamese singer and artiste who has been able to carve a niche for himself by his distinctive style and the honesty with which he expresses his thoughts. The popular singer has captured the hearts and minds of people not just with his melodious voice but also through his unflinching frankness and fearless expression of his ideas on various social issues. 

Garg’s candidness on various social issues and his frank opinions on contemporary topics has often left his fans and followers both entertained as well as thoughtful. Known to express his opinions on wide ranging issues, the artist has often displayed a sense of humor about his opinions. On one occasion when the Chief Minister of Assam was seen jumping on stage in a very similar manner, Garg remarked that it was his style and that no one else could copy his style. He has also admitted that some of his finest works were the result of dips in his moods following heavy drinking. Garg has also expressed that despite his reservations on certain issues, his friends and well-wishers did not want him to air his views in public. According to him, it was quite impossible for him to keep his opinions to himself for too long. 

Among other things, one of his most popular quotes that beautifully captures the uncompromising stance he has taken on various social issues is, “Moi ghenta kaku khatir nokoru, you can’t dictate me.” , This quote exemplifies the attitude of Zubeen Garg as a free-spirited individual who never hesitates to voice his opinion, no matter what the consequence might be. 

Some of the most popular works of his include the song ‘Politics Nokoriba Bandhu‘ – “Don’t do politics, my friend,” , which was performed by him extensively and was hugely appreciated on social media. The song was seen as a reflection of his desire for a fairer society with cleaner politics. A politically inclined artist, Garg has voiced his opinions and has questioned many of the key political figures through his music without being apolitical himself. His songs have been the voice of common people and through his music, he has been able reach out to people on various social issues. Garg is perhaps one of the very few assamese singers whose songs could be considered as political commentaries. 

Death

On 19 th September 2025, a 52-year-old man passed away in Singapore while on a vacation. The unfortunate incident occurred at Saint John’s island as the man was swimming in the sea. He was not wearing a life jacket and consequently drowned. At the time of the incident, Garg was swimming with others who immediately started CPR on him and took him to the Singapore general hospital. The doctors in the Intensive Care Unit tried their best to rescue him, but he was pronounced dead at 2:30 pm Indian Standard Time.

Funeral

The cremation ground for the late Garg was set up on 3.3 acres of government land in Kamarkuchi, a village near Guwahati in Sonapur NC. The local villagers freely offered this space so that a good number of people could gather. It could host as many as five thousand mourners at a time. Earlier, Garg’s body was kept at the Arjuna Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex in Guwahati before the final rites. People from all walks of life turned up there till the morning of 23 September to give their last respects. 

On 23 September the cremation took place with full state honours. The twenty-one gun salute marked the deep respect he was given by the government and public alike. His ashes were taken to Jorhat a week later on 30 September 2025. The traditional thirteenth-day Adyashraddha ceremony was performed there on 1 October. The family members and thousands of his fans gave their last respects. 

The Assam government has announced its decision to construct a memorial in Jorhat to mark his contributions and mark his memory. Another memorial was also planned in Guwahati. In the intervening days, his ashes were kept in a public place in Jorhat for people to visit and seek their last view of him. Finally, on 29 October 2025, his ashes were immersed in the Brahmaputra marking the end of the traditional rituals. 

The events surrounding the cremation and subsequent rituals reflected the deep sense of love and respect that people from all walks of life had for Garg. From the large grounds that the open cremation space had in Kamarkuchi, offered by the villagers to the state honours and the final immersion of the ashes in the river, all marked a deeply poignant farewell that the people of Assam gave to their beloved son. 

Tributes

Zubeen Garg, whose voice had been soothing millions of hearts across India, had always been a voice that sang the Assamese soul beyond Assam. The news of his demise not only left his fans grieving, but also made his nation mourn. In Assam, the chief minister and the people were deeply saddened by the demise of the Assamese singer, who had captured the hearts of music lovers with his melodious voice. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first personalities to express his grief on the demise of Zubeen Garg. The Prime Minister conveyed his respects to the great singer for bringing smiles on millions of people. He was followed by the leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi who also paid tribute to the late singer. The chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed profound grief over the loss of the legendary singer. The Government of Assam announced three days of state mourning starting from 20th to 22nd September. However, the Assam government later decided to extend it till 23rd September to include the days for burial and cremation to mark the respect of the legendary singer. 

Chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee expressed her personal grief over the loss of the beloved singer. Calling him her dear brother, she described the great voice of Zubeen Garg as eternal and his songs will forever live. While the political personalities paid tribute to the legendary singer, the music and film industry personalities were more emotional. 

The legendary Assamese singer Papon expressed his grief by calling him his dear brother and said, “He was the voice of a generation.” Music director Pritam Chakraborty, who had done the film ‘Gangster’ with Zubeen Garg in 2006, was deeply grieved and shocked by the sad news. He sent his profound condolences to the family of Zubeen Garg.

Numerous celebrities from the music and film industry paid tributes to the late singer on social media. Legendary music maestro A. R. Rahman, veteran singer Hariharan, composer Jeet Ganguly, lyricist Sameer Anjaan, rapper Badshah, pop bands A Band of Boys and Viva, singers Alisha Chinai, Amaal Mallik, Debojit Saha, Kalpana Patowary, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Neha Bhasin, Raageshwari Loomba Swaroop, Sagarika, Shaan, Shilpa Rao, Shreya Ghoshal, Sowmya Raoh, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Sunidhi Chauhan, Tarali Sarma, Vishal Mishra and Vishal Dadlani mourned the loss of a great soul who had sung for the generations.

Actors Dev, Jatin Bora, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Ravi Sarma and Assamese actor Adil Hussain paid tributes to him. Adil Hussain described the news as shocking and heart-wrenching. He described the contribution of Zubeen Garg in Assamese music and cinema.

On 21st September, 2025 at the trailer launch of the film ‘Raghu Dakat’ at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, a thirty-second silence was observed in the memory of Zubeen Garg.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan said he was a legend whose voice had touched millions and whose music had marked generations. Actor Randeep Hooda said legends like Zubeen Garg never die, but live forever through their art. Kangana Ranaut, who had made her Bollywood debut in the film ‘Gangster: A Love Story’ for which Zubeen Garg had sung the evergreen song ‘Ya Ali’, paid emotional tribute to the late singer on social media. She wrote, “#Zubeenda No one like you!”

Writer-critic Utpal Borpujari, speaking about the great personality of Zubeen Garg, remembered the numerous instances where the singer had helped many of his friends and relatives financially, including arranging treatment for patients in the hospitals and taking care of the children in the orphanages in Guwahati.

Writer-activist Taslima Nasrin spoke highly about the humble personality of Zubeen Garg. “Unlike many others, he never pretended to be a gentleman. He never acted arrogant,” she said on social media.

Singer Alisha Chinai described on social media that Zubeen Garg was not politically correct. He despised the Bombay scene and the whole Bollywood setup. He was a very straight person and she respected him for that. “I always wish I had spent more time in conversation with him. He was like the wind – came and went,” she said.

A personal request of Zubeen Garg took a special place in this year’s homage to him. On a concert in B. Borooah College in Guwahati in 2019, he had requested that on the day of his death, his song ‘Mayabini Raatir Bukut’ be played. After his demise, this song was played at his funeral and in homes and public gatherings all over Assam. “Mayabini Raatir Bukut” turned into a solidarity anthem as people across Assam paid tributes to the late singer.

Numerous tributes from the leaders, music and film industry personalities, writers, and music lovers, all narrated various dimensions of Zubeen Garg’s life. Zubeen Garg, who had been a legend in Assamese music and captured the hearts of millions of Indians, had been a true ambassador of Assamese music and culture. This legendary singer, who could soothe the most agitated minds and whose songs had been the background score in millions of romantic overtures across the country, was not only liked but respected by all for his straight forwardness and contribution to society and the upliftment of the poor and the needy in Assam and India in general and especially through his music.

The three-day mourning in Assam gave music lovers an opportunity to express their grief, which the Assam government has acknowledged by extending the mourning to include the day of his burial and cremation on 23rd September. On social media, music lovers remembered the late singer with songs and video clips of his performances. People across Assam remembered the songs that had been a part of their life and were an inseparable companion in their journey of life.

The versatility of Zubeen Garg was not limited to just Assamese folk songs or modern Assamese songs or Hindi film songs. His participation in numerous Assamese and Hindi film songs had made him a household name across the country. The association with music directors all over India brought his songs to millions of ears. His performances in Assam, however, remained special as he always connected with his audience through his music and sincerity. Music lovers, wherever they might be, always cherished the deep emotions that resided in his melodious songs. The music of Garg has, in fact, been the reason for the everlasting love for Assamese music even outside Assam.

Even after the three-day mourning, Garg’s music continues to soothe million of hearts in Assam and outside. The music lovers across Assam are keeping alive the memory of the legendary singer as a part of Assamese culture. The song ‘Mayabini Raatir Bukut’ will always echo in the hearts of music lovers and in the hills and valleys of Assam.

It is a matter of pride and joy for all the people of Assam, India and abroad, that music lovers from all spheres of life – from politicians to music directors and singers, writers and film personalities, have shown a rare respect and affection for Garg. In fact, Garg had created a common music platform across Assam, India and the rest of the world. This was possible due to his music as well as his straight and truthful nature. He was a man who spoke as he did and believed in helping those in distress.

The people who knew him personally and those who knew him from his music feel the same pain of losing a friend. They all feel relieved that the music of Garg will continue to live and that the songs will always be a companion. Whenever Garg’s songs will be played, his voice will be there for a few minutes. Hence, in the coming years, the tributes to Garg will be a daily affair.