Sheikh Shahed Ali, a popular singer of the 1990s and founder of the band Gachh, has died after a 21-day battle for life.
He breathed his last at 10:05am on Friday while undergoing treatment at Azgar Ali Hospital in Dhaka. He was 63.
The singer had been on life support at the hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.
Confirming his death, Shahed Ali’s friend Ershadul Haque Tinku told bdnews24.com that he died of multiple organ failure.
“His condition deteriorated sharply on Thursday, accompanied by bleeding, and he was placed on life support. This morning, as he was unable to breathe on his own, the life support was withdrawn on the advice of doctors,” he said.
Tinku said the singer’s Namaz-e-Janaza or funeral prayer will be held after Asr prayers at Gopibagh Jame Mosque in Old Dhaka. He will be laid to rest beside his mother at the family graveyard in Gopibagh.
Shahed had been suffering from kidney ailments for the past four years and was undergoing regular dialysis.
He was admitted to hospital on Oct 24 after developing a sodium deficiency. During treatment, he suffered a stroke and lost the ability to speak normally.
He was subsequently diagnosed with dengue, a catheter-related fungal infection and liver inflammation caused by the hepatitis C virus.
As his condition worsened, he was transferred to Azgar Ali Hospital in Gandaria, Old Dhaka, on Oct 31. He was initially treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) and later moved to the high dependency unit (HDU).
Shahed Ali had been away from music for quite some time.
However, he was preparing to make a comeback with nearly two dozen new songs.
According to his close friend Ershadul Haque Tinku, Shahed had been preparing to release 24 songs composed over the past 11 years. The songs were scheduled for release under the G-Series banner. He also planned to publish four CDs, four cassettes and four vinyl records as collectibles.
Shahed was the founder of the band Gachh and had been active in music since the 1990s. He was also known in the music scene as “Rokzana” Shahed.
His popular songs include “Rokzana”, “Upolobdhi”, “Classroom-e Bose Shekha”, “Utpakhir Dim”, “Khola Chul” and “Prem Ashbei”.
His debut album, “Probhu”, was released in 1991. He went on to release five more albums.