Classical singer Ustad Fateh Ali Khan dies

LAHORE: Renowned classical singer Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, the brother of Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, passed away at the age of 82 in a hospital in Islamabad on Wednesday. 

Ustad Fateh Ali Khan’s funeral prayers will be offered in Lahore today (Thursday). He was under treatment in the federal capital for the past 10 days and was suffering from lungs disease. 

Born in 1935 in Patiala, he (at the age of 12) and his elder brother Amanat Ali Khan (at the age of 14) became the Maharaja’s chosen singers at his ‘Darbar’. 

Being paid a handsome amount of Rs100 per month in the year 1946, he grew up in an environment where music was valued. He was the sixth generation in his family devoted to classical singing. He was joined by his brothers, the late Amanat Ali Khan and Hamid Ali Khan, in keeping the family legacy alive. His sons Rustam and Sultan teach classical music in Lahore and Islamabad. He was also the paternal uncle of classical/rock singer Shafqat Amanat Ali and the late Asad Amanat Ali. 

Fateh received the President Pride of Performance and many other awards; however, none of the awards carried any financial assistance with them. Still, he maintained, “I would live my life exactly the same, if I had another life”. 

Ustad Fateh Ali Khan gained fame for Pakistan in the US, India, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Afghanistan, Nepal and spent his life singing and teaching classical music. His students were spread all over the world, from the US, UK, Germany, Norway, Switzerland to India and Pakistan. 

 APP adds: President Mamnoon Hussain expressed his grief over the demise of classical singer Ustad Fateh Ali Khan. The president in his condolence message said the services of Ustad Fateh Ali Khan in the field of music would be remembered for long.

He prayed to Almighty Allah to grant peace to the departed soul of Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also expressed his grief over the death of Ustad Fateh Ali Khan.