Guwahati: Veteran santoor player and music composer Pt Shivkumar Sharma died in Mumbai this morning following a heart attack, family sources said. He was 84.
Pt Shivkumar Sharma, one of India’s most well-known classical musicians, was due to perform in Bhopal next week. He was also suffering from renal ailments, reported Press Trust of India.
“He had a severe heart attack at around 9 am… He was active and was to perform in Bhopal next week. He was on regular dialysis but was still was active,” the family source told news agency PTI.
A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Shivkumar Sharma was born in Jammu in 1938 and is believed to be the first musician to have played Indian classical music on the santoor, a folk instrument from Jammu and Kashmir.
As one half of musician duo Shiv-Hari, he composed music with flute legend Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia for an array of films such as “Silsila“, “Lamhe” and “Chandni“.
His son Rahul Sharma is also a santoor player.
