Singer Shahnaz Rahmatuallah dies

Celebrated singer Shahnaz Rahmatuallah died of heart attack on Saturday night. She was 65.

Shahnaz breathed her last at her Baridhaara residence around 11:30pm after suffering a heart attack, dancer Doly Iqbal confirmed Prothom Alo.

The singer left behind her husband, a son and a daughter and well-wishers to mourn.

Shahnaz’s husband retired major Abul Bashar Rahmatullah said the namaaz-e-janaza of the singer will be held at Park Mosque near the road no. 9 of Baridhara residential area after the Zuhr prayers today (Sunday).

Later, she will be buried at the military graveyard in Banani of the capital, he added.

Shahnaz Rahmatullah was awarded the Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, in 1992. She won national award for singing songs of a film ‘Chhutir Fande’ in 1990.

Besides, she was given lifetime achievement award by the Channel-i Music Award in 2016.

Born in 1953, Shahnah Rahmatullah started her singing career in radio, television and films at the age of 10.

A disciple of eminent Pakistani Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan, Shahnaz is popularly known for her country songs.

One of her brothers Anwar Parvez was a noted musician while another brother actor Zafar Iqbal was a very popular face in Bangla films.

In her long career spanning over five decades, she published four albums including 'Baroti Bochhor Pore' and 'Shudhu Ki Amar Bhul'.

Some of her most popular songs include ‘Ekbar jete de na amar’, ‘Prothom Bangladesh amar shesh Bangladesh’, ‘Ek nodi rokto periye’, ‘Ektara tui desher kotha bolre ebar bol’, ‘Amai Jodi prosno kore’, ‘sagorer teer theke’, ‘Fuler kane bhromor ese’ and so on.