Legendary Iranian singer Mohammad-Reza Shajarian passes away

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, a legendary singer, instrumentalist and composer who embodied traditional and classical music in Iran, died in Tehran on Thursday after a long battle with cancer, his son said.

Shajarian "flew to meet his beloved (God)", Homayoun Shajarian wrote on Instagram, days after the "Ostad" -- master in Persian -- was hospitalised.

Soon after the announcement of his death, several hundred fans converged on the Jam hospital in Tehran where he was admitted a few days ago in a critical condition, AFP correspondents reported.

In a statement, the hospital said Shajarian died "despite the efforts of the medical team" and that his body had been transferred for burial.

State television, from which Shajarian had been banned from broadcasts for years, opened its evening bulletin with news of his death.

The report was soon picked up by other media, provoking an outpouring of grief on social media.

Several outlets indicated that the funeral was to take place in Mashhad, the Shiite holy city in northeastern Iran where Shajarian was born.