Music maestro and Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj has passed away at the age of 90 following a cardiac arrest. His daughter Durga told PTI that the classical Indian vocalist passed away in the US, where he had been staying. "Bapuji is no more," his daughter Durga, also a musician, told PTI over phone from Mumbai. She was inconsolable and could not speak any more.
Jasraj, who belonged to the Mewati Gharana, was in the US when the coronavirus-led lockdown happened and decided to stay back in that country.
"With profound grief we inform that Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj ji breathed his last this morning at 5.15 EST due to a cardiac arrest at his home in New Jersey, USA," a statement issued by his family said here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to condole the maestro's death.
"The unfortunate demise of Pandit Jasraj Ji leaves a deep void in the Indian cultural sphere. Not only were his renditions outstanding, he also made a mark as an exceptional mentor to several other vocalists. Condolences to his family and admirers worldwide. Om Shanti," the PM said.
Pandit Jasraj was born in Haryana and belonged to the Mewati gharana of Hindustani classical music. He was introduced to music by his fatherand later received training from his elder brother. Pandit Jasraj spent his childhood in Hyderabad and would travel to Gujarat to learn music.
His career spanned over 80 years and he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1990, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2000.
In an interview with Times of India in 2016, Pandit Jasraj spoke about how he used to stay in Jambagh in Hyderabad with his family. Jasraj said that his father, whose 'samadhi' was in Golnaka, died five hours before a concert after which he was to be announced as the Royal Musician in the court of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad.
In 2019, Pandit Jasraj had a planet, located between Mars and Jupiter, named after him.
Pandit Jasraj has tutored several renowned singers such as Kavita Krishnamurthy, Anuradha Paudwal, Sadhana Sargam, Shankar Mahadevan, Mukesh Desai, Ramesh Narayan, and many others.
With inputs from PTI