Indian Idol winner Prashant Tamang passed away on Sunday at the age of 42. After suffering a heart attack, he was taken to a hospital in Dwarka, New Delhi, where the hospital declared him dead.

“He was in New Delhi. I received the news of his death from his family and close relatives this morning,” filmmaker Rajesh Ghatani told the Post.

Another singer, Pramod Kharel, has also mentioned the death of the singer on Facebook. “When all our fellow musicians living in Darjeeling spoke about his death, only then did I come to know,” Kharel wrote.

Kharel added that Tamang represented Nepali-speaking communities across borders. “He represented not just Nepali people and the North East of India, but everyone who spoke the Nepali language, regardless of citizenship,” Kharel told the Post.

Indian media outlets have reported that he passed away shortly after returning to the capital after completing a programme in Arunachal Pradesh.

Before his death, he had not shown any serious health problems or discomfort. Born on January 4, 1983, in Darjeeling, West Bengal, Tamang had achieved national-level fame from a simple background.

After losing his father at a young age, to shoulder the responsibility of his family, he began serving as a constable in the Kolkata Police and used to sing in the police band (orchestra).

In 2007, after auditioning for Indian Idol Season 3, his life took a new turn. Eventually, by winning the competition, he won the hearts of millions of viewers and listeners across India and abroad.

“Today, all the Nepali singers who go and sing on big stages, the courage to reach reality shows came because of Prashant,” Ghatani added.

After winning Indian Idol, his victory became a matter of pride for the Gorkha and Nepali-speaking communities, and many communities celebrated his victory. After Indian Idol, he released many albums.

Along with music, he also started an acting career. The Nepali film ‘Gorkha Paltan’, in which he acted, was very well received by audiences. In recent times, he also acted in the Indian web series ‘Paatal Lok’ Season 2 and appeared in Salman Khan’s film ‘Battle of Galwan’. “Even when I met him just recently, he was happily saying that he had done good work in Salman’s film. Through songs and music, he connected Nepalis scattered all over the world,” Ghatani said.

Actor Anup Bikram Shahi, who worked with Prashant in ‘Battle of Galwan’, remembers him as a skilled singer as well as a capable actor.

“I met him for about 4/5 days on the set of ‘Battle of Galwan’. He was friendly and had a great personality. I had met him just 4/5 months ago; I still can’t believe this news,” actor Shahi said.

Tamang is survived by his wife and a daughter. He had been living in Janakpuri, Delhi. According to sources, his mother-in-law was the first to learn of his death and informed his Indian Idol friend Amit Paul. Paul later shared the news on Instagram, after which Tamang’s death became public.