LAHORE: Celebrated playback singer Nayyara Noor passed away after a brief illness in Karachi on Saturday, her family said. She was 72.
The nature of her illness could not be immediately ascertained.
Born on November 3, 1950, in the northeastern state of Assam in India, she along with her family migrated to Pakistan in 1957, according to Radio Pakistan.
A keen enthusiast of melody, Noor started learning music at a very early age and got her first break on Radio Pakistan in 1968. Three years later, in 1971, she was introduced at state-owned Pakistan Television.
Her long career spanned several decades during which she sang popular national and movie songs. The late singer was honoured with multiple national awards, including the title of Bulbul-i-Pakistan, alongside the Pride of Performance Award in 2006.
Noor was also among the few performers who earned the coveted Nigar Award. In her case, in 1973, within a few years of her public debut.
She is survived by her husband, Sheharyar Zaidi, and two sons, Naad-i-Ali and Jaffer.
Her funeral will be offered in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood of Karachi at 4:00 pm.
The prime minister expressed deep grief over her death.
In a tweet, he said her death was an irreparable loss for Pakistan and the lovers of classical music. “Noor was known for her melodious voice and emotions,” Shehbaz Sharif said, adding that whatever genre she sang, whether ghazals or playback songs, became famous.
نامور گلوکارہ نیرہ نور کا انتقال موسیقی کی دنیا کے لیے ایک نا قابل تلافی نقصان ہے۔ وہ اپنی آواز میں ترنم اور سوز کی وجہ سے خاص پہچان رکھتی تھیں۔ غزل ہو یا گیت جو بھی انہوں نے گایا کمال گایا۔ان کی وفات سے پیدا ہونے والا خلا کبھی پُر نہیں ہوگا۔ اللہ تعالی مرحومہ کو جنت میں جگہ دے۔
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 21, 2022
Her death has created a huge vacuum that will be difficult to fill, he said.
“End of an era,” tweeted Marriyum Aurangzeb, minister for information and broadcast.
نیرہ نور کی وفات سے پاکستانی موسیقی کا ایک عہد تمام ہوا ہے۔ یہ خبر سن کر بے حد دکھ اور افسوس ہوا۔ سریلی آواز، گائیکی کا منفرد انداز اور عمدہ کلام کا انتخاب ناقابل فراموش ہے۔ اللہ تعالیٰ مرحومہ کو جنت الفردوس میں اعلی مقام اور اہل خانہ کو صبر جمیل عطا فرمائے۔ آمین
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) August 21, 2022
