Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said singer Zubeen Garg died while swimming without life jacket.
The singer, best known for 2006 film Gangster's song Ya Ali, died after a scuba diving accident in Singapore on Friday.
He was reportedly on a cruise with his friends when he fell into the sea during the scuba diving activity. Garg was rushed to a hospital, but had allegedly suffered a heart attack and passed away at 1:10 pm (IST).
The Assam CM said that Singaporean authorities are questioning the people who were accompanying the singer, news agency PTI reported. Sarma further informed that Zubeen Garg's post-mortem examination will be conducted on Saturday.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled Garg's demise and said the singer would be remembered for his contribution to music.
“Shocked by the sudden demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg. He will be remembered for his rich contribution to music. His renditions were very popular among people across all walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” PM wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}“Shocked by the sudden demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg. He will be remembered for his rich contribution to music. His renditions were very popular among people across all walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” PM wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}The singer's death was confirmed by Assam Cabinet minister Ashok Singhal earlier in the day.
Garg was in Singapore for the North East India Festival and was scheduled to perform on September 20, 2025.
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"With profound grief, we share the heartbreaking news that our beloved icon, Zubeen Garg, passed away today at Singapore General Hospital around 2:30 PM. Zubeen had arrived in Singapore just the day before yesterday. He was scheduled to be with us at the festival tomorrow, meeting and interacting with people. Earlier today, our entire team was engaged in a business meeting with senior Singaporean industrialists and policymakers at the Shangri-La Hotel to facilitate investments in Northeast India," the organisers said in a press statement.
The organisers claimed that they were unaware of Zubeen's yacht visit before the tragic accident.
Garg was reportedly learned that a few members of the local Assamese community had taken him on a yacht visit, "of which we had no prior knowledge".
"On receiving the news, our team rushed immediately to the hospital and has since been working closely with the High Commission to complete the necessary procedures. This is a monumental loss, and words cannot express the depth of our grief. In light of this tragedy, we are cancelling the event. We are devastated and pray for the departed soul of Zubeen Garg," they added.