India, Jan. 11 -- Singer and actor Prashant Tamang, who shot to fame after winning Indian Idol Season 3, passed away on Sunday at his residence in New Delhi. He was 43 and reportedly suffered a stroke.

Reacting to his sudden passing, Raju Bista, BJP MP from Darjeeling and the party's national spokesperson, said Tamang's death had left the Gorkha community and the wider world of art and music in shock. He noted that Tamang's Indian Idol victory in 2007 was a moment of immense pride for Gorkhas across the country and helped bring Nepali music into the national spotlight.

Bista added that Tamang's journey on the reality show created a rare sense of unity across the Darjeeling hills, Terai, Dooars, Sikkim and the Northeast, while also reson...