'His voice was like melting gold'

After fighting with cancer for almost 10 months, singer Andrew Kishore passed away on Monday. He breathed his last at his sister's place in Mahisbathan, Rajshahi. His demise has brought about a pall of gloom in the music industry.

Andrew Kishore debuted with composer Alam Khan, who himself is now unwell. He however still reminisced about the old days of 1977 when Andrew Kishore sang on his composition in the movie "Mail Train."

"The journey was much more than the experience of creating songs together. Memories with Andrew are unlimited. Rather than focusing on them I would like to tell people that he was a very talented personality and very passionate about music," Alam Khan said.

Legendary vocalist Sabina Yasmin said, at times Kishore was a friend and at times he was a brother.

"We could talk about anything under the sun," she remembered. "Of all the songs I have sung, I have sung the most with Kishore. I can't even remember how many."

"I had told him to go to Singapore at least two months before he eventually went there for treatment. I wish he had gone earlier," she added.

In playback, Andrew Kishore and Kanak Chapa's duets produced some timeless numbers for the music industry. They had sung nearly 2,000 songs together, starting with the movie 'Na Farman' in 1986, directed by Moinul Islam Khan.

Kanak Chapa said, "There is only one Andrew Kishore in Bangladesh. He cannot be replaced with anything. He will always be alive through his works. My respect for him will not perish as long as I live".

"Whenever he started singing, it felt like his voice was melting gold. His voice was powerful and bold like a sun. It is my sheer luck that I started my professional life with him and could grow under his guidance. I will never refer to him in the past tense. For me, he is still here and I feel proud that Bangladesh will always have Andrew Kishore," added Kanak Chapa.  

"I first met him when we performed together on stage and later we did a number of playback songs together," said veteran singer Abida Sultana.

"His voice was pure gold and we won't get another voice like this ever again. He should have been with us at least ten more years to make our music world richer."

Hanif Sanket was Andrew Kishore's friend for a long time. He is still coming to terms with the fact that his dear friend Andrew Kishore is no more. This is what he had to say on a Facebook post:  

"I never imagined that a time would come when I will have to be writing about my dearest friend's death. His last words are echoing in my head. Pray for me dear friend so that it hurts less. I may not be able to talk anymore," Hanif Sanket said.

Hanif Sanket added, "His (Andrew) health rapidly deteriorated. I kept in touch with his family members. Finally, he left us. Andrew Kishore is a true gem of the music industry. The spirit of his voice surpassed worldly needs. His death has caused an immense loss to our industry." 

"My dear friend, I am heartbroken by your early departure," he also wrote.