Nazrul Sangeet maestro Firoza Begum passed away at a city hospital on Tuesday night. She was 82.

She breathed her last at Apollo Hospitals around 8:30pm, said duty officer at the hospital.

Firoza Begum, Independence Day Award recipient, was admitted to the hospital on Friday with various complications, including heart and kidney problems.

Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of the prominent Nazrul Sangeet exponent.

In separate messages, they prayed for salvation of the departed soul and expressed their deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.

She was born on July 28, 1930 in Faridpur. In 1956, Firoza married to Kamal Dasgupta. Kamal was a singer, composer and lyricist.

Feroza Begum became drawn to music in her childhood. She recorded her first Islamic song by Gramophone record company in 1942.

She lived in Kolkata from 1954 until she moved to Dhaka in 1967. At a time when Nazrul Sangeet was in a state of decline in this part of the world, it was Feroza Begum who revived its glory and infused new life into Nazrul Sangeet.

She emerged as the most legendary Nazrul Sangeet singer in the subcontinent through her unique presentation. In recognition of her contribution, Firoza Begum was honoured with the ‘Independence Day Award’ in 1979 and the ‘Sheltech Award’ in 2000.

ZA/QH