Eminent singer Kalyani Kazi dies at 87

Kolkata: Eminent singer and the youngest daughter-in-law of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Kalyani Kazi died here on Friday after a prolonged illness, family sources said.

Kazi, 87, breathed her last at SSKM hospital where she was shifted from a nursing home in south Kolkata a few days back.

She had been suffering from leukaemia for quite some time and also had renal problems and died after multi-organ failure at around 5:30 am on Friday, her family said.

Kazi, the widow of Kazi Nazrul Islam's younger son Kazi Aniruddha, is survived by two sons and a daughter who lives in the US.

"We have requested the West Bengal government to keep mother's body at Peace Haven mortuary for a day to enable our sister Anindita Kazi to arrive from the US tomorrow morning and mother's last rites will be performed afterwards," one of Kazi's sons Kazi Anirban told reporters at the hospital.

Condoling her death West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a statement, Kalyani Kazi's singing style used to enthral listeners making them spellbound.

"West Bengal government had conferred on her the Sangeet Mahasamman award in 2015. She was a member of the advisory council of Poschimbongo Kazi Nazrul Islam Akademi," Banerjee recalled.