Eminent folk singer Fakir Alamgir has passed away at a hospital in the capital tonight at the age of 71. He suffered a cardiac arrest around 10pm at the Covid unit of the hospital. There the singer breathed his last at 10:56pm, his son Mashuque Alamgir Rajeeb told the media.
The first namaz-e-janaza of Fakir Alamgir will be held today at 11am in the Pallima Sangsad premises in Khilgaon, Dhaka. Later, the mortal remains of the singer will be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar at 12pm to pay tribute. He will be buried at Taltola Graveyard after his last namaz-e-janaza at Khilgaon Matir Mosque in the capital after Zuhr prayers on Saturday.
Recently, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the capital's United Hospital as his condition deteriorated after testing positive for Covid-19.
Fakir Alamgir was born in 1950. He stepped into the music arena in 1966 and played a vital role during the mass uprising of 1969 as a member of the Kranti Shilpi Gosthi and Gana Shilpi Gosthi. During the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, he joined the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra and performed frequently to inspire freedom fighters.
The government awarded the Ekushey Padak to Fakir Alamgir in 1999 for his significant contribution to music.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of the singer. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, State Minister Mahbub Ali, Deputy leader of the opposition Golam Mohammad Quader and other government high officials also mourned his death.
