Renowned santoor player Pt Shivkumar Sharma died in Mumbai today following a heart attack. He was 84.
Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, one of India’s most well known classical musicians, died between 8 and 8:30 am at his Pali Hill residence in Mumbai, his secretary Dinesh told news agency Press Trust of India.
He had been active till the end and was due to perform in Bhopal next week. He was also suffering from renal ailments.
“He had a severe heart attack in the morning… He was active and was to perform in Bhopal next week. He was on regular dialysis but was still active,” a family source told PTI .
He is survived by his wife Manorama and sons Rahul, also a santoor player, and Rohit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who condoled Sharma’s death.
A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Pt Shivkumar Sharma was born in Jammu in 1938 and is believed to be the first musician to have played Indian classical music on the santoor, a folk instrument from Jammu and Kashmir.
As one half of musician duo Shiv-Hari, he composed music with flute legend Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia for hit films like Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni and Darr.
