One of the most revered singers of Bangladesh, Shahnaz Rahmatullah has died at the age of 67. She breather her last at her residence in Baridhara around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday (Mar 23), local media reports said citing her close relatives.
The singing legend had been suffering from old-age complications. She left behind her husband, a son and a daughter.
Her Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at the Baridhara Park Mosque after Zuhr prayers on Sunday (Mar 24). She will be buried later in Banani military graveyard.
The artiste was born in Dhaka to M Fazlul Haque and Aasia Haque.
Shahnaz, the Ekushey Padak and the National Film Award-winning singer, had developed a keen interest in music at an early age. Her brother late Anwar Parvez was a renowned music composer. Her other brother was the celebrated actor and singer Zafar Iqbal.
She performed as a playback singer in the film "Natun Sur" at the tender age of 11 in 1963. She went on to lend her voice to countless tunes since then. Shahnaz started singing on television from 1964. She sang a number of Urdu songs and Ghazals in the 1970s.
The revered vocalist was trained in advanced music by Ustad Phul Mohammed. She was also received musical training from Ustad Munir Hossain, Ghazal maestro Mehdi Hasan and Shahid Altaf Mahmud.
In 2006, the BBC ranked four of Shahnaz's songs on its list of the top 20 greatest Bengali songs of all time. Two of these were compositions of Anwar Parvez while the others were composed by Khan Ataur Rahman and Abdul Latif, respectively.
Shahnaz released four albums during her illustrious career which spanned nearly 50 years. Apart from the Ekushey Padak and the National Film Award, she won numerous awards, including the Shilpakala Academy Award and the BACHSAS Award for her contributions to music in Bangladesh.
Shahnaz Rahmatullah has also sung a number of patriotic songs. Her songs including "Je Chhilo Drishtir Shimanae", "Khola Janala", "Pari Na Bhule Jete" still linger in the hearts of her fans.
The eminent singer had taken a brief hiatus from music to devote herself to her religion.
