According to family sources, veteran Pakistani singer Nayyara Noor has died. The playback singer was a stage performer and one of the most popular films song playback singers of the Indian subcontinent. She gave live Ghazal concerts on Pakistani television and in music halls throughout the country.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
It is with heavy heart that I announce the passing of my beloved aunt (tayi) Nayyara Noor. May her soul R.I.P.
She was given the title of ‘Bulbul-e-Pakistan’ because of her melodious voice. #NayyaraNoor pic.twitter.com/69ATgDq7yZ
— Raza Zaidi (@Razaazaidi) August 20, 2022
Nayyara Noor was born on November 3, 1950, in Guwahati, Assam, northeastern India, where she grew up. Her ancestors and family were merchants who moved to Assam from Amritsar, Punjab. Before India was split up in 1947, her father was a member of the All India Muslim League and invited Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Assam.
Noor moved to Pakistan from India with his mother and brothers in 1957 or 1958, settling in Karachi. Her father, on the other hand, stayed in Assam until 1993 to care for the family farm. As a child, Nayyara was reportedly moved by the Bhajans of Kanan Devi and Kamla, as well as the Ghazals and Thumris of Begum Akhtar.
Pakistan’s Melody Queen, Nayyara Noor passed away. What an amazing person she was. Many understood Faiz Ahmed Faiz because of her singing his revolutionary poetry. May Allah bless her soul. pic.twitter.com/6fBdOkkVf2
— Azhar Abbas (@AzharAbbas3) August 20, 2022
Despite the fact that Nayyara had no formal musical training or education, Asrar Ahmad of the Lahore Islamic Institute trained her after hearing her sing at the Lahore National Academy of Arts banquet for her friends and colleagues in 1968. She was soon invited to perform on the university’s Pakistani radio show.
Nayyara made her television debut as a singer in 1971, and she later appeared in films such as Gharana (1973) and Tansen. Since then, she has sung Ghazals by well-known poets like Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mehdi Hassan, and Ahmed Rushdi.
