Shravan Rathod of iconic music composer duo Nadeem-Shravan dies of COVID-19

Iconic music composer Shravan Rathod of the duo Nadeem-Shravan fame passed away battling COVID-19 at a Mumbai hospital on Thursday at the age of 66. Musician Sanjeev Rathod, the deceased's son, confirmed the news and told PTI: "He passed away around 10:15 PM tonight. Please pray for his soul".

On Monday, Shravan Rathod was admitted to Mumbai's SL Raheja Hospital in a critical condition after testing positive for COVID-19. According to reports, the composer was diabetic and his lungs were infected due to the disease. In addition, he had also developed severe heart complications and was on a ventilator for the last few days.

Soon after the news of his death, celebrities across the music industry expressed their grief and shared condolence messages remembering the iconic music composer.

Nadeem mourned the loss

In an interview to Bombay Times, composer Nadeem Saifi mourned the loss and said: "My Shanu is no more. We have seen an entire life together. We saw our highs, we saw our lows. We've grown up with each other in many ways. We never lost touch and no physical distance could ever separate the two of us. I am in deep pain as I say this but my friend and my companion, my partner of so many years is no more. It has left such a vacuum."

He added: "I spoke to his son who was inconsolable. We had been in touch on a regular basis for the last several days when Shravan complained of ill-health and had to be moved to a hospital. Shravan's wife and son are also unwell and are still in the hospital. I am feeling so helpless that I cannot be there physically for them, to help them and bid farewell to my friend."

Music industry in grief

Mourning Shravan Rathod, Bollywood composer Salim Merchant wrote an emotional post on Twitter: "Shravan bhai is no more. My respects and condolences to his family. Nadeem-Shravan have given us some of the biggest hits in the 90s. COVID-19 has taken so many lives. Don't know when will this end... Really saddened by this news."

"Shocked to hear the news of Shravan ji (of Nadeem Shravan) passing away. A genuine humble human being and one of the biggest composers of our music industry. Another huge loss in this pandemic. God give strength to the bereaved family. Rest in peace," tweeted singer Shreya Ghoshal as she mourned the death of the legendary composer.

Singer-composer Pritam wrote: "Saddened to know that Shravan ji of Nadeem Shravan has passed away. Feeling numb. When will this nightmare get over. My deepest condolences to his family."

"Extremely saddened by the tragic news of legendary music composer Shravan ji's (of Nadeem/Shravan fame) demise," Adnan Sami wrote in a tweet.

The composer duo was extremely popular for their music, especially in the 90s. Popularly known as Nadeem-Shravan, they have composed some of the iconic hit songs for movies such as 'Aashiqui' (1990), 'Saajan' (1991), 'Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke' (1993), 'Pardes' (1997), and 'Raja Hindustani' (1996), among others. Later in the 2000s, the duo parted ways, however, again came together to compose music for David Dhawan-directed 'Do Knot Disturb' in 2009.