Mohammed Rafi Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio
Real Name	Mohammed Rafi
Nickname	Pheeko
Profession	Playback Singer
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in feet inches- 5’ 7”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 85 kg in pounds- 187 lbs
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black (Semi- bald)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	24 December 1924
Date of Death	31 July 1980
Age (at the time of death)	55 Years
Birth Place	Lahore, Punjab, then British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan)
Place of Death	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Cause Of Death	Heart-Attack
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Capricorn
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Lahore, Punjab, then British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan)
School	Not Known
College	Not Known
Educational Qualification	Not Known
Debut	Playback singer: Aji dil ho kaabu mein (Song)/ Gaon Ki Gori (Film)
Awards, Honours	• Honoured with a silver medal by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru (first Prime Minister of independent India) on the first anniversary of the Independence of India (1948) • Padma Shri (1967) • National Award for the song "Kya Hua Tera Wada" from the film "Hum Kisise Kum Naheen" (1977)
Family	Father- Hajji Ali Mohammed Mother- Allah Rakhi Brothers- Mohammed Safi, Mohammed Deen, Mohammed Ismail, Mohammed Ibrahim, Mohammed Siddique Sisters- Chirag Bibi, Reshma Bibi
Religion	Islam
Address	Rafi Mansion, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Hobbies	Playing Badminton, Carom and flying kites
Controversies	• In 1962–1963, the popular female playback singer Lata Mangeshkar raised the issue of playback singers' share in the royalties. Recognizing Rafi's position as the leading male playback singer, she wanted him to back her in demanding a half-share from the 5 percent song royalty that the film's producer conceded to select composers. Rafi stated that his claim on the filmmaker ended with his being paid his agreed fee for the song and it is the producer who bets the money and the composer who creates the song, so his claim to the contribution of the song is compensated when the fees are paid. • After the royalty issue, Lata's views clashed with Rafi's view and she decided not to sing any further songs with Rafi. The music director Jaikishan later negotiated this dispute between the two. •  In an interview given to The Times of India on September 25, 2012, Lata claimed to have received a written apology from Rafi. However, Shahid Rafi, Mohammad Rafi's son, refute the claim, calling it an act to dishonour his father's reputation. • Rafi was again got involved in a controversy over Lata Mangeshkar's entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. In a letter dated 11 June 1977, to the Guinness Book of World Records, Rafi had challenged that Lata Mangeshkar has recorded the less number of songs than him. But After his death, the Guinness Book of World Records made it clear and gave Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings" and in 1991, the Guinness Book entries for both Rafi and Lata were deleted.
Favourite Things
Favourite Actor(s)	Kishore Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar
Favourite Actress	Madhubala, Rekha, Sadhna, Nargis Dutt
Favourite Film(s)	Mughal-E-Azam, Aradhana, Guide, An Evening in Paris.
Favourite Singer(s)	K. L. Saigal, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Manna Dey
Favourite Colour(s)	Brown, Red & White
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Bilquis Bano
Wife/Spouse	Basheera Bibi (First Wife) Bilquis Bano (Second Wife)
Marriage Date	Year 1943 (Second Wife)
Children	Sons- Saeed (First Wife) Khalid, Hamid, Sahid (Second Wife) Daughters- Parveen, Yashmin, Nashreen (From Second Wife)
Style Quotient
Car Collections	Fiat Padmini Empala
Money Factor
Net Worth (Approx)	$20-30 million

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mohammed Rafi

• Does Mohammed Rafi smoke?: Not Known

• Does Mohammed Rafi drink alcohol?: Not Known

• Mohammed Rafi was the second eldest among his six brothers.

• He learned classical music from Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo and Firoze Nizami.

• In 1941, Rafi was invited by All India Radio, Lahore station, to sing for them.

• In 1941, he made his debut in Lahore as a playback singer in the duet “Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee” with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi film ‘Gul Baloch’ (released in 1944) and made his Hindi debut with a song “Aji dil ho kaabu mein to dildar ki Aisi taisi” for the film Gaon Ki Gori in 1945.

• In 1944, Rafi moved to Mumbai and lived with Hameed Sahab in a rented ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown, Bhendi Bazar area.

• In 1945, he appeared on the screen for the song “Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha” in the film Laila Majnu.

• He considered K. L. Saigal as his idol and was also influenced by G. M. Durrani. In the early phase of his career, he often followed their style of singing.

• In 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the team of Husanlal Bhagatram-Rajendra Krishan and Rafi had overnight created the song “Suno Suno Ae Duniyawalon, Bapuji Ki Amar Kahani.” He was then invited by Jawaharlal Nehru, to sing at his house.

• He worked with various eminent Music Composers such as Naushad, S.D. Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan, O.P. Nayyar, Ravi, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and many more.

• The last song of Rafi was “Shaam Phir Kyun Udaas Hai Dost, Tu Kahin Aas Paas Hai Dost”, for the composer Laxmikant- Pyarelal, that was recorded just hours before his death.

• In June 2010, Rafi along with Lata Mangeshkar was voted the most popular playback singer in the Outlook Music Poll, conducted by Outlook magazine. The same poll voted “Man re, tu kahe na dheer dhare” (Chitralekha, 1964), sung by Rafi as the Number one song and at second were “Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain” (Guide, 1965) and “Din dhal jaye, hai raat na jaye” (Guide, 1965).

• Shahid Rafi and Sujata Dev wrote his official biography tilted, ‘Mohammed Rafi: Golden Voice of the Silver Screen,’ which was launched on his 91st birth anniversary.

• The ‘Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk’ in the Bandra suburbs of Mumbai was named after him.