KOLKATA: Music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan, who has been undergoing treatment at a Kolkata-based hospital for prostate cancer, died at a city hospital this afternoon, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said. He was 55.
He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
"We tried our best but failed. He passed away at around 3:45 PM," an official of the private hospital where Khan was admitted said.
The musician was on ventilation. His health condition deteriorated following a cerebral attack last month.
The classical singer, who belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, is the great-grandson of gharana founder Inayat Hussain Khan.
The chief minister who visited the hospital said, "This is a great loss for the entire country and the entire music fraternity. I am in a lot of pain as I still can't believe that Rashid Khan is no more.
The chief minister said Khan will be given a gun salute and state honours before his last rites are performed on Wednesday.
"His body will be kept at a mortuary today. It will be taken to Rabindra Sadan on Wednesday where his admirers can pay him last respects," she said.