<p>Celebrated Pakistani singer Nayyara Noor, adored by millions from both sides of the border for her soulful melodies, passed away after a brief illness, her family said on Sunday, bringing the curtains down on the life of one of the last musical icons to represent the shared culture of India and Pakistan.</p>.<p>Noor was 71, and had been under treatment for quite some time in Karachi, media reports said.</p>.<p>"It is with heavy heart that I announce the passing of my beloved aunt (tayi) Nayyara Noor. May her soul R.I.P.," her nephew Raza Zaidi <a href="https://twitter.com/Razaazaidi/status/1561084288682131461" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p>.<p>She leaves behind an enviable legacy and a treasure trove of mellifluous renditions.</p>.<p>Noor was born in Guwahati in 1950.</p>.<p>Her father was an active member of the All-India Muslim League and hosted Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah during his trip to Assam before the Partition in 1947.</p>.<p>Sometime in 1958, her family migrated to Lahore in Pakistan's Punjab province.</p>.<p>“Education was the be-all and end-all of our existence but music was the main source of entertainment,” the Dawn newspaper quoted her as saying.</p>.<p>She admitted that Kanan Bala and Begum Akhtar were their all-time favourites, with Lata Mangeshkar "a passion with everyone."</p>.<p>Noor had no formal training in music, but she was captivated by Akhtar’s ghazals and Bala’s bhajans since childhood.</p>.<p>While regaling her friends and teachers during a musical function at her alma mater --- National College of Arts in Lahore – Professor Asrar Ahmad of Islamia College spotted her burgeoning talent.</p>.<p>Soon, Noor found herself singing for the university’s Radio Pakistan programmes.</p>.<p>In 1971, she made her playback singing debut in Pakistani television serials and then seamlessly transitioned to films like Gharana and Tansen.</p>.<p>She won the Nigar Award for the best female playback singer for Gharana.</p>.<p>Noor will be best known for her ghazals.</p>.<p>She performed at mehfils, enjoying a cult-like following among ghazal lovers in Pakistan and India.</p>.<p>Her famous ghazal rendition was “Ae Jazba-e-Dil Ghar Main Chahoon”, written by Behzad Lucknavi, a renowned Urdu poet.</p>.<p>Noor also sang ghazals penned by poets like Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and also performed with the likes of Mehdi Hassan.</p>.<p>“Barkha barse chat per,” a rare Hindi poem by Faiz, which she rendered with her husband Sheharyar Zaidi in 1976 on his birthday was perhaps her most celebrated work.</p>.<p>At the peak of her career, Noor decided to marry Zaidi, and with time became finicky about doing live performances.</p>.<p>“Music has been a passion with me but never been my top priority. I was a student and a daughter first and a singer later. After my marriage my primary roles have been those of a wife and a mother,” she had told the Dawn newspaper.</p>.<p>Noor was honoured with the title “Bulbul-e-Pakistan” (Nightingale of Pakistan) in 2006.</p>.<p>In 2006, she was honoured with the “Pride of Performance Award,” and by 2012, she bid adieu to her professional singing career.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while expressing grief over Noor’s demise, said her death is "an irreparable damage" to the music world.</p>.<p>"Be it a ghazal or a song, whatever Nayyara Noor sang, she sang it with perfection. The void created by Nayyara Noor’s death will never be filled," he tweeted.</p>
<p>Celebrated Pakistani singer Nayyara Noor, adored by millions from both sides of the border for her soulful melodies, passed away after a brief illness, her family said on Sunday, bringing the curtains down on the life of one of the last musical icons to represent the shared culture of India and Pakistan.</p>.<p>Noor was 71, and had been under treatment for quite some time in Karachi, media reports said.</p>.<p>"It is with heavy heart that I announce the passing of my beloved aunt (tayi) Nayyara Noor. May her soul R.I.P.," her nephew Raza Zaidi <a href="https://twitter.com/Razaazaidi/status/1561084288682131461" target="_blank">tweeted</a>.</p>.<p>She leaves behind an enviable legacy and a treasure trove of mellifluous renditions.</p>.<p>Noor was born in Guwahati in 1950.</p>.<p>Her father was an active member of the All-India Muslim League and hosted Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah during his trip to Assam before the Partition in 1947.</p>.<p>Sometime in 1958, her family migrated to Lahore in Pakistan's Punjab province.</p>.<p>“Education was the be-all and end-all of our existence but music was the main source of entertainment,” the Dawn newspaper quoted her as saying.</p>.<p>She admitted that Kanan Bala and Begum Akhtar were their all-time favourites, with Lata Mangeshkar "a passion with everyone."</p>.<p>Noor had no formal training in music, but she was captivated by Akhtar’s ghazals and Bala’s bhajans since childhood.</p>.<p>While regaling her friends and teachers during a musical function at her alma mater --- National College of Arts in Lahore – Professor Asrar Ahmad of Islamia College spotted her burgeoning talent.</p>.<p>Soon, Noor found herself singing for the university’s Radio Pakistan programmes.</p>.<p>In 1971, she made her playback singing debut in Pakistani television serials and then seamlessly transitioned to films like Gharana and Tansen.</p>.<p>She won the Nigar Award for the best female playback singer for Gharana.</p>.<p>Noor will be best known for her ghazals.</p>.<p>She performed at mehfils, enjoying a cult-like following among ghazal lovers in Pakistan and India.</p>.<p>Her famous ghazal rendition was “Ae Jazba-e-Dil Ghar Main Chahoon”, written by Behzad Lucknavi, a renowned Urdu poet.</p>.<p>Noor also sang ghazals penned by poets like Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and also performed with the likes of Mehdi Hassan.</p>.<p>“Barkha barse chat per,” a rare Hindi poem by Faiz, which she rendered with her husband Sheharyar Zaidi in 1976 on his birthday was perhaps her most celebrated work.</p>.<p>At the peak of her career, Noor decided to marry Zaidi, and with time became finicky about doing live performances.</p>.<p>“Music has been a passion with me but never been my top priority. I was a student and a daughter first and a singer later. After my marriage my primary roles have been those of a wife and a mother,” she had told the Dawn newspaper.</p>.<p>Noor was honoured with the title “Bulbul-e-Pakistan” (Nightingale of Pakistan) in 2006.</p>.<p>In 2006, she was honoured with the “Pride of Performance Award,” and by 2012, she bid adieu to her professional singing career.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while expressing grief over Noor’s demise, said her death is "an irreparable damage" to the music world.</p>.<p>"Be it a ghazal or a song, whatever Nayyara Noor sang, she sang it with perfection. The void created by Nayyara Noor’s death will never be filled," he tweeted.</p>