India, Sept. 20 -- A wave of shock and grief swept across Assam and the rest of the country on Friday as news broke of the untimely death of legendary Assamese singer Zubeen Garg. The 52-year-old artist, who gained national fame with his soulful 2006 Bollywood hit Ya Ali from the film Gangster, died in Singapore following a tragic scuba diving accident.

According to a news report by North East Now, Zubeen was pulled from the sea by Singapore police and immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite receiving intensive medical care, doctors were unable to save him. The singer had travelled to Singapore to perform at the 4th North East India Festival, which was scheduled to begin on September 20.

The news triggered an outpouring of emot...