Ayub Bachchu, who popularised rock music in Bangladesh, dies

Bachchu was brought in an unconscious state to Dhaka’s Square Hospital around 9:15am on Thursday, said Emergency Division nurse Habibur Rahman.

The singer, guitarist, lyricist and composer was a founding member of the band LRB (Love Runs Blind). He was 56 years old.

Fans, musicians and cultural figures rushed to the hospital after news of his death spread.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, have expressed their grief over the death of the singer.

Cultural personalities as well as fans pour their hearts out online over the news of Bachchu’s death.

“Ayub Bachchu! No!! Why?? Who will now play the blues with you throwing us into the blues? This is NOT fair! There was so much to be done, to be heard, to be seen, to be composed, to be sung, to be loved, to be jammed, to be toured, to be released, to be hummed, to be strummed...” wrote ABC Radio host Naveed Mahbub in his Facebook post.

“A star of our teenage and youth left us leaving his silver guitar behind. I have spent thousand emotional nights with your songs; those memories will now be tagged with your songs. Your music will remain in my heart as long as I live. You were not just a singer but a chapter in my life,” wrote fan Tanvir Ahmed.