Naushad passes away, his music lingers

MUMBAI: Veteran music composer Naushad Ali died of old age here on Friday, family sources said.

The 86-year-old Naushad, a Dadasaheb Phalke award winner, had not been keeping well for quite some time in the recent past, they said.

Born on December 25, 1919, he came to Mumbai in 1930s from his native place Lucknow and became one of the most successful music directors of Hindi film industry in the next two decades.

Prominent films for which he had composed music included 'Baiju Bawra', 'Mother India', and 'Mughal-e-Azam', all of which had achieved phenomenal commercial successes.

Naushad had been undergoing treatment at Nanavati Hospital here, where he was admitted on April 20 after complaining of uneasiness, they said.