On Thursday, 31 July 1980, Mohammand Rafi, India’s most beloved playback singer died at 10:50 p.m., following a heart attack. Today is 32 years since he left us.
His last song was Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost (Aas Paas), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death.
Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.
In 2010, his tomb was demolished to make space for new burials. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on 24 December and 31 July, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.
Different people in the music space pay their tribute to him today with shows over TV and radio. Radiowalla.in has a special tribute show at 9pm tonight while Fever 104 FM will be hosting a tribute show on 10 August at the Siri Fort Auditorium.
