The respected performer passed away, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered her sincere condolences, stating, "This is a great loss for the entire country and the entire music fraternity." I am in great pain because I still find it hard to comprehend Rashid Khan's passing."

One of the most well-known and respected Indian classical vocalists on the subcontinent, Ustad Rashid Khan, lost his fight with cancer on Tuesday January 09. He was 55.

According to Hindustan Times, the renowned music maestro was receiving treatment for prostate cancer in a Kolkata hospital. He was placed on a ventilator and given oxygen support until 3:45 p.m. (local time) when he passed away.

On July 1, 1968, Ustad Rashid Khan was born in Sahaswan, Badayun, Uttar Pradesh. He was a member of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, a distinctive singing style that is characterised by medium-slow tempos, a full-throated voice, and intricate rhythmic play. The inventor of this style of singing, Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan Sahab, was his great-grandson.

His maternal grand-uncle, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan, was the one who initially trained him. He was also the nephew of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.


At the age of eleven, Rashid Khan had his stage debut. After Nissar Hussain Khan transferred to the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) in Kolkata, he joined the academy. At age 26, he received official recognition from the academy as a musician.

During performances with Western instrumentalist Louis Banks, the maestro experimented with fusing traditional Hindustani music with lighter musical genres. Additionally, he demonstrated his versatility by performing in Jugalbandis (duets) with many well-known musicians, such as sitarist Shahid Parvez.

But his popularity in the general public took off once he released the highly praised song "Aaoge Jab Tum" from the 2007 Bollywood film "Jab We Met," which was directed by Imtiaz Ali and starred Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor.

Subsequently, he did other popular Bollywood songs, including, but not limited to, “Allah Hi Rahem” (My Name is Khan), “Poore se zara sa” (Mausam), “Sajna” (Bapi Bari Ja), “Jheeni Re Jheeni” (Issaq), and “Bol Ke Lab Azad Hain” (Manto).

The renowned musician has also given multiple performances in Bangladesh, most notably at the Dhaka Bengal Classical Music Festival.

Ustad Rashid Khan received multiple accolades for his services to the music industry in the subcontinent, including the most prestigious honour in Kolkata, the Banga Bhushan (2012), the fourth-highest civilian honour, Padma Shri (2006), and India's third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan (2022).