The 91-year-old and Bharat Ratna awardee Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan has died of cardiac arrest at Heritage hospital today in Varanasi.



President A P J Abdul Kalam has condoled the death of Ustad Bismillah Khan. Khan was admitted to the hospital with age-related health problems and weakness.



According to the hospital superintendent PSR Aiyer, his condition started deteriorating at midnight and he suffered a cardiac arrest at 1.45 am. He was put on the life support system and was declared dead at 2.20 am today.



The doctor said further that Khan was admitted in the hospital in deteriorating condition but shown the best of spirits and even sang a couple of songs for attending doctors.







HRD Minister asked Ustad that does he want to perform at India Gate and Khan said that if god willed his last wish would be surely fulfilled.



His style of living was as old as it was in his earlier days and he continued to use the cycle rickshaw as his chief mode of transport until the end.





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