Pankaj Udhas’ final rites were held on Tuesday, February 27. While several pictures and videos from his funeral have surfaced on social media, what broke everyone’s heart were also Pankaj’s wife Farida Udhas’ devastating photographs. She was seen crying inconsolably at her late husband’s funeral. In some of the pictures, the late singer’s daughter, Reva Udhas, was also holding her mother’s hands.
Earlier today, a video of Pankaj’s daughter also surfaced online in which she was visibly grief-stricken as she was making arrangements for the funeral. Several celebrities including Vidya Balan, Zakir Hussain and Shankar Mahadevan were also seen paying their last respects to the singer at the funeral.
Pankaj Udhas passed away on February 26 in Mumbai after a ‘prolonged illness’. In a statement issued to the press, the family said, “With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padmashri Pankaj Udhar on February 26, 2024, due to a prolonged illness.”
Later, singer Anup Jalota revealed that Pankaj was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had been battling the same for the last two to three months. “The man who helped so many cancer patients, himself died of cancer. That is life. He had pancreatic cancer. I knew this for the last 5 to 6 months, and he stopped talking to me in the last 2-3 months, so I realized that his health was not okay. I feel very sad that this illness took his life,” he told The Indian Express.
Pankaj Udhas was born on May 17, 1951, in Jetpur, Gujarat. He began his career by releasing a ghazal album named Aahat in 1980. Soon, he became synonymous with ghazal music in India. In Bollywood, the ghazal singer sang the iconic track Chitthi Aayee Hai, for Sanjay Dutt’s film Naam. Pankaj released several albums and hosted many live concerts over the years which amplified his popularity. Pankaj Udhas was honoured with India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.
