Entertainment Desk :
The legendary Bangladeshi musician Shafin Ahmed, who was known for his work with the pioneering band Miles, died. He succumbed to a massive heart attack at a hospital in Virginia, USA. His brother, musician Hamin Ahmed first confirmed the news yesterday.
Shafin Ahmed, who gave us timeless hit songs like ‘Harano Sukh,’ ‘Aj Jonmodin Tomar,’ ‘Phiriye Dao,’ and ‘Neela,’ breathed his last far from home, in the USA. The news was also confirmed by Ashfaqul Bari Rumon, lead vocalist of the band Parthibo.
Rumon shared, “Shafin suffered a massive heart attack. He had a concert scheduled in Virginia on July 20. He fell ill before the show and had to cancel it. He was admitted to the hospital that day. As his organs started failing he was put on life support. Unfortunately, we couldn’t bring him back. I spoke with Shafin’s bandmate Raisul Islam Rimon, who confirmed the news. Shafin had been on life support for the past two days in a Virginia hospital.”
Shafin Ahmed passed away at 6:50am Bangladesh time on July 25. He was 63.
Efforts to reach Shafin’s elder brother, Hamin Ahmed, for more details were unsuccessful.
Shafin Ahmed was born on February 14, 1961.
His mother, Firoza Begum, was a legendary vocalist, and his father, Kamal Dasgupta, was a renowned musician. Growing up in such a musically enriched environment, Shafin was immersed in music from an early age.
He learned classical music from his father and Nazrul songs from his mother.
Later, Shafin, along with his elder brother Hamin, was exposed to Western music while studying in the UK, which led to the formation of Miles. This band remains one of Bangladesh’s top bands, with Shafin contributing his voice to 90 per cent of their songs, earning widespread popularity. Besides singing, he also played bass guitar for the band.
However, due to longstanding disputes with his brother, Shafin left Miles recently to form his own group.
Some of Shafin’s most beloved songs include ‘Chand Tara Surjo,’ ‘Jwala Jwala,’ ‘Phiriye Dao,’ and ‘Firey Ele Na.’