Indian singer Zubeen Garg dies at 52 after medical emergency during scuba diving in Singapore

Indian singer and composer Zubeen Garg died Friday in Singapore after a medical emergency while scuba diving, officials said. He was 52. Garg was declared dead in the intensive care unit of Singapore General Hospital around 2:30 p.m. local time, according to his family and representatives. The death comes days after Garg was slated to perform at the Northeast India Festival in Suntec City, Singapore, an appearance that organizers canceled in light of the tragedy.

Festival organizers said Garg had been taken on a yacht visit by members of the local Assamese community without prior knowledge of the organizers, prompting the cancellation of the event. The statement from the festival director also noted that the trip was not authorized and that the decision to cancel was made in consideration of Garg’s death.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Garg’s death certificate lists drowning, and officials said the post-mortem report was still being finalized. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock and condolences on social media, while Rahul Gandhi called the loss a terrible tragedy.

Thousands of fans and supporters gathered around Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday to pay their respects to the artist often described as the jewel of Assam. Sarma said Garg will be laid to rest after a state mourning period, and a memorial is planned on a 10 bigha land parcel in Hatimura, Kamarkuchi NC Village.

Garg is survived by his wife of 23 years, Garima Saikia Garg, a costume designer, and their son Gautam Garg. Modi’s and Gandhi’s messages underscored Garg’s broad appeal across audiences in Assam and beyond.

A cornerstone of Garg’s career was his breakout Bollywood moment with Ya Ali in Anurag Basu’s 2006 thriller Gangster: A Love Story. Over four decades, he recorded more than 38,000 songs and performed in more than 40 languages, while playing 12 instruments, including drums, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, keyboard, and tabla. He founded the Kalaguru Artiste Foundation and remained a prolific presence in Indian cinema and regional music scenes. At the time of his passing, Garg had two films slated for release, Homework and Roi Roi Binale, and maintained a sizeable following, including about 2.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify.