Sitar maestro Ustad Raees Khan passes away in Karachi

KARACHI - Renowned Sitar maestro Ustad Raees Khan breathed his last on Saturday in Karachi.

Khan was diagnosed with an ailment and had been bedridden for quite some time.

Ustad Raees Khan was born in Indian city of Indore on November 25, 1939. Born in a family of musicians, he started learning music from his elders at a very young age.

His maternal grandfather Inayat Ali Khan was also considered one of the finest sitar players in the subcontinent. Raees had also learned the art from Ustad Inayat Ali Khan.

He was the husband of another known classical singer Bilquis Khanum.

Pop singer Ali Zafar took to Twitter and expressed his condolences for the deceased sitarist.

Extremely saddened. The great Ustad Raees Khan Sahab,legendary sitar nawaz passed away. Have wonderful memories with him. God bless his soul pic.twitter.com/3bkMwtzdfH

— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) May 6, 2017

Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar also extended her condolences on Twitter.

Sitar ke jaadugar Ustad Rais Khan sahab aaj hamare bich nahi rahe ye khabar sunke mujhe bahut dukh hua.Meri unko bhavpurna shraddhanjali.

— Lata Mangeshkar (@mangeshkarlata) May 6, 2017