Legendary Indian classical musician and Padma Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan passed away on Sunday afternoon at his residence in Mumbai. He was 89. Khan’s daughter-in-law Namrata Gupta Khan said that the veteran breathed his last at 12.37 p.m. at his Bandra home.
She added “Today morning he was fine. We had a 24-hour nurse at home. During his massage he vomited and I ran up to him immediately. His eyes were shut and he was breathing slowly. I tried connecting to doctors but by the time they came he had already died”.
She said the family was in shock due to Khan’s sudden demise as he had been keeping well.
Khan had suffered a brain stroke in 2019 and leaving the left side of his body paralysed. She took to the social media saying that “With a very heavy heart, I inform you all that my father-in law, the pillar of our family and a legend of our nation, Padma Vibhushan Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan sahab has left for his heavenly abode few minutes ago.”
Khan’s last rites will be performed at Santacruze Kabrastan later this evening. Khan was Born on March 3, 1931 in Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, Khan was the eldest son in a family of four brothers and three sisters.
His father, Ustad Waris Hussain Khan was the son of celebrated musician Ustad Murred Baksh, while his mother, Sabri Begum, was the daughter of Ustad Inayat Husain Khan, credited as the founder of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of music.
Khan got his basic classical music training from his father and later studied music under his cousin, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991, followed by Padma Bhusan in 2006 and Padma Vibhushan in 2018.
In 2003 he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artistes.
Soon after Khan’s demise his collaborators from Indian music industry, including legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and music composer A.R. Rahman, took to the social media to pay tributes to the legendary.
Lata Mangeshkar said she was “deeply saddened” by the news of Khan’s death.
“I got to know the news of passing away of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Saheb. I am deeply saddened. He was not only a very good singer but also a very good human being,” she said, adding, her niece had also learnt music from him. A.R. Rahman remembered Khan as the “sweetest teacher”.
“The sweetest teacher of all… May the Ghafoor-ur-Rahim give you a special place in the next world #UstadGhulamMustafa,” he wrote.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan too said that Khan’s passing away has left him heartbroken.
