The Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg died in Singapore due to a sea adventure. The conflicting reports include a scuba dive or a swim without a life jacket. A post-mortem carried out in Singapore will give the real cause of death with fans lamenting the death of the Indian music favourite, the water baby.
What’s Known
- Who, Where & When
Zubeen Garg -the famous Assamese singer-songwriter was killed by Malaysian militants at Singapore on 19 September 2025, at age 52.
- Event & Purpose
He had travelled to Singapore to play in the North East India Festival.
- What Caused the Accident (Different Versions)
o One story is that he had breathing problems during scuba diving, received CPR, and was taken to Singapore General Hospital where he died in ICU at approximately 2:30 PM IST.
o But the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that he drowned in the sea when he was swimming with no life jacket. There is a video mentioned that Garg jumped out of a yacht, back then jumped once more without a life jacket and was found floating.
- “Water Baby” Reference
o According to the media, Garg frequently left pictures on Instagram of him having fun in the sea and the waves implying that he liked water and anything near the sea.
o Such expressions as music and the sea appeared to be his most favourite.
What’s Still Unclear
- Precise Circumstances: It is yet not established whether he was scuba diving or merely swimming or snorkeling or any other water activity. The gap between the reports (scuba diving and swimming without a life jacket) is not addressed.
- Wearing of Safety Gear: It is stated that initially life jacket had been put on but it was discarded later due to uncomfortableness or being too big. That implies that there might have been a negligence in safety measures.
- Medical Cause: In addition to the difficulty in breathing, there are some reports that there might have been a seizure or some other medical occurrence underwater, but the information has not been publicly confirmed yet.
My perception: Why Water Baby Is Resonant.
From what’s been public:
- He often posted images or material of him loving the sea, waves, seaside scenes – signs that he liked water.
- The fact that he was in a water activity in a foreign country implies that he had felt at ease with water-based adventure.
Therefore, it would be appropriate to refer to him as a water baby because he liked to be in water or close to it.
What We Are Aware of / What the Authorities have Mentioned.
- Autopsy / Post-Mortem
o The Singapore officials are performing a post-mortem (autopsy).
o The Chief Minister of Assam has assured the mortal remains of the singer will be released to the Indian authorities after the post-mortem is done.
- Statements from Officials
o Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has reported that Gar g had gone swimming without any life jacket when he was spotted floating.
o He had supposedly originally put on a life jacket, but had taken it off, as it was too big / was uncomfortable.
o Lifeguards were reportedly threatening to inform him to put on the life jacket.
o Lifeguards did CPR after he was found floating, after which he was taken to Singapore General Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
- What the Family Has Said
o During his second swim, his wife said that he had a seizure attack, and denied that he was scuba diving when he died.
What Is Not Yet Confirmed /is still under Investigation.
- Final Cause of Death: We are yet to receive an official report on whether it was indeed drowning, a seizure, a heart related incident, difficulties with scuba gear or some other medical problem. The outcome of the autopsy is waiting.
- And whether Scuba Diving Was Involved at all: There are also conflicting reports. Others refer to it as a scuba diving accident; others state that he was merely swimming (or had some breathing issues when swimming) when on a yacht outing.
- Safety Measures / Gear: Although it is mentioned that he took off the life jacket, when he did it, how it was fastened on, whether the sea was rough or calm, whether he was being supervised or not by any diver / staff, etc. is not clearly explained.
- Medical History / Underlying Conditions: It is not publicly known whether Garg had any underlying condition (e.g. cardiac, neurological) that may have predisposed him to things such as seizures or difficulty breathing.
Legacy
- Language: Sang Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali etc.
- Genres: Folk, pop, rock, Bollywood playback, devotional.
- Discography: 30 plus Assamese albums, several Santi plus Hindi/ Bengali albums, 150 plus film songs.
- Awards: Global Indian Film Award (Best Playback of the song Ya Ali), many Assamese music awards, lifetime achievement awards.
- Zubeen Garg has released his last album, Sikaar in 2024. In this album, there was a fusion between the traditional Assamese songs and the modern ones, and this expressed his versatility and attachment to his origins. Some of the notable songs are Ekadosi Ratiya and Xaturangi which have been very much popular among the fans.
- Also, Zubeen Garg published the album “Bondhu” in 2024, which once again established him as part of the Assamese music world.
- To have a complete list of his recent work, you can visit the Zubeen Garg Jukebox 2024 on YouTube which is a list of his recent songs.
- These albums are like the legacy of Zubeen Garg and his desire to add value to Assamese music every time he releases an album.
Conclusion
The premature demise of Zubeen Garg in Singapore has been surrounded with contradictory information, however, a converging version of the story is coming out. The renowned Assamese singer who was famously referred to as a water baby died in a sea adventure in Singapore where he stated that he went swimming without his life jacket. It was originally reported as a scuba-diving accident but Assam Chief Minister and his wife reported that he was swimming off a yacht and not diving when he began to experience difficulties with his breathing or had some sort of seizure. Even after CPR and hospitalization he was not revived.
The Singaporean government ordered a post-mortem investigation to establish the exact cause of death and his remains are to be handed over to the officials of India when the report is ready.
Although the precise medical cause, be it drowning, seizure or cardiac event, is not yet confirmed as of the findings of the autopsy, yet the initial signs point to a sadistic mix of poor conditions on the seas, lack of life jacket and unexpected medical emergency. The death of Garg is one of the greatest losses of the Indian music fraternity and acts as a bitter pill of the significance of safety in any water activities.
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