After battling for life in the ICU at a Mumbai hospital since July 28, legendary music composer
Mohammed Zahur Khayyam
Hashmi, popularly known as Khayyam, breathed his last at 9.30 pm today. The hospital declared cardiac arrest as the cause of his death. The Padma Bhushan recipient was admitted because of infection in lungs and was in critical condition ever since admission.
Ghazal
singer
Talat Aziz
, who was looking after the composer and his wife Jagjit Kaur during this tough phase, shared the news with
Bombay Times.
“He was on the ventilator for a while. The doctors informed me that Khayyam saab passed away at 9.30 pm. I’ll take his body home today and will make arrangements for the burial tomorrow. He wanted his burial to happen at the Four Bungalows graveyard. I’m extremely worried about his wife Jagjit ji, as she, too, has been unwell for a while,” said Aziz.
Khayyam, 93, was the man behind some of
Bollywood
’s most celebrated soundtracks, Kabhi Kabhi (1972), Umrao Jaan (1981), Noorie (1979), Raziya Sultan (1983), Bazaar (1982), among many others. “I used to recite the Quran to him every day at the hospital. In fact, Khayyam saab’s wish was that I recite the surah Yaseen (recited at the time when someone is about to breathe his/her last) during his last moments. I did that today,” said Aziz, as he was on the way to the hospital. Musicians Salim Merchant and
Sonu Nigam also arrived at the hospital. The last rites will be held tomorrow afternoon.
Read this report in Marathi