Mehdi Hassan

Mehdi Hassan was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential singers of the ghazal genre. He was born on 18 July 1927 in Luna, a village in Rajputana Agency, British India (now Pakistan). He belonged to a family of musicians and learned music from his father and uncle, who were also renowned singers. He started his career as a thumri singer and later shifted to ghazal singing. He sang in various languages, such as Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, and Persian. He had a distinctive and melodious voice, which earned him the title of Shahenshah-e-Ghazal (Emperor of Ghazal). He sang for over 300 films and received numerous awards and accolades, such as the Pride of Performance, the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz from the Government of Pakistan. He also performed in various countries, such as India, UK, US, Canada, and Nepal, where he was highly acclaimed and respected. He influenced generations of singers from diverse genres, such as Jagjit Singh, Pankaj Udhas, Ghulam Ali, and Sonu Nigam. He died of multiple organ failure in Karachi on 13 June 2012. He is remembered as a legend of ghazal singing and a master of the art.