Khayyam was admitted in a hospital in Juhu, Mumbai, a few days ago with breathing trouble.
Our Correspondent
Musical giant Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi, better known simply as Khayyam, died last night of a lung ailment. Khayyam was admitted in a hospital in Juhu a few days and he passed away there. The legendary music composer was 92.
“He was admitted to the Sujay hospital a few days ago owing to breathing trouble and other age-related illnesses. He died at around 9:30pm,” a family friend told the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
Khayyam, probably the last of the greats from the golden era of Hindi cinema, only hit the big time as the period was on its last legs. Born on 18 February 1927 in Punjab, Khayyam was interested in music from an early age. He started his career as a composer in the early 1950s. But his best known work came more than two decades later in films like Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Trishul (1978), Noorie (1979), Umrao Jaan (1981) and Bazaar (1982).
Khayyam was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2007 and the Padma Bhushan in 2011. He also won the National award for his musical score in Muzaffar Ali's classic Umrao Jaan and several Filmfares, including the Lifetime Achievement award.
