Indeed it is the black year for the music industry as another musician died this year. After Lata Mangeshkar, Bappi Lahiri, Sidhu Moose Wala, KK, now santoor player and music composer Pandit Bhajan Sopori has died. Indian instrumentalist Pandit Bhajan Sopori is no more and had left for the heavenly abode at the age of 74.
The legendary Santoor player also received multiple awards throughout his career, like Padma Shri in 2004, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992, and the Jammu and Kashmir State Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. He learned western classical music from Washington University and Hindustani music from his father and grandfather.
Speaking about his health an official statement from Fortis, Gurugram stated, “Pandit Bhajan Sopori was diagnosed with colon cancer stage IV. The disease had spread to the liver and bones. He was under treatment at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), Gurugram, since February 2022 and had received chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy over the last couple of months. He was admitted to FMRI on May 18, 2022, after his condition had deteriorated. He succumbed to multi-organ failure today on June 2.”
Expressing about his father, son Abhay told, “a great loss for the music field. He was a great human being, a great musician, and an even beautiful father. His legacy is huge, and the shoes are too big to fill in.”
Sarod player Amaan Ali Khan told, “ What do I even say…so many musicians. This is a dark year for the music fraternity. I know Abhay; I hope he can carry on his tradition. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma passed away a few weeks ago and now Bhajan ji, who was one of the senior musicians. The entire field is getting empty. It is a sad phase. We have lost too many gems. I pray for his family.
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