Jagjit Kaur (Khayyam’s Wife) Age, Death, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Singer
Famous For	Being the wife of veteran Indian music composer- Mohammed Zahur Khayyam
Career
Debut	Film (Punjabi): Posti (1950) Film (Hindi): Dil-E-Nadaan (1953)
Famous Songs	• Kahmosh zindagi ko afsaanaa mil gayaa from Dil-e-Nadan (1953) • Pehle to ankh milana from Shola Aur Shabnam (1961) • Tum apna ranj–o-gham apni pareshani mujhe de do from Shagoon (1964) • Dekho dekho ji gori sasural chali from Shagoon (1964) • Nain milake pyar jata ke aag laga dee from Mera Bhai Mera Dushman (1967) • Chale aao saiyan rangeele main vaari re (with Pamela Chopra) from Bazaar (1982) • Dekh lo aaaj humko jee bhar ke from Bazaar (1982) • Kaahe ko byahi bides from Umrao Jaan (1981) • Saada chidiya da chamba vai from Kabhi Kabhi (1976)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	Year, 1931
Date of Death	15 August 2021
Place of Death	She breathed her last around 6 am at her residence in Mumbai.
Age (at the time of death)	93 Years
Death Cause	She died of age-related illness. [1]India Today
Cremation Ground	Pawan Hans Crematorium, SV Road Vile Parle, Mumbai
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Punjab
Religion	Sikhism
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian
Address	7th Floor, Dakshina Apartments, Juhu, Mumbai
Hobbies	Watching Films, Listening to Music
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Widow
Affairs/Boyfriends	Mohammed Zahur Khayyam
Marriage Date	Year, 1954
Family
Husband/Spouse	Mohammed Zahur Khayyam (Music Composer; died of cardiac arrest on 19 August 2019)
Children	Son- Pradeep Khayyam (actor and music composer; died of a heart attack on 25 March 2012) Daughter- None
Parents	Names Not Known
Favourites
Poet(s)/Lyricist(s)	Kaifi Azmi, Sahir Ludhianvi, Shakeel Badayuni
Singer(s)	Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jagjit Kaur

• Jagjit Kaur was a veteran Indian playback singer who is best known as the spouse of the famous Indian music composer Mohammed Zahur Khayyam. She died of age-related illness on 15 August 2021.
  

  Jagjit Kaur in a Music Session with Khayyam

• Although she sang fewer songs than her contemporaries like Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar, all her songs are considered masterpieces.
  

  Jagjit Kaur With Asha Bhosle and Khayyam

• She was known for her rustic voice and robust ability to render folk tunes. Music experts believe that her vocals glide from a high to a low pitch, acquiring a mellow finish.

• Jagjit was born into an affluent Punjabi Zamindar Family.

• Since her childhood, she was passionate about films and music. She would often participate in her school’s cultural programs.

• Jagjit’s playback singing career started with a song in the Punjabi film Posti (1950). It was also the first Punjabi film in which Asha Bhosle had lent her voice.

• Although she sang her first Hindi song for the music composer Ghulam Mohammed in the film Dil-E-Nadaan (1953), it didn’t give her much recognition to break into the big league.

• Jagjit Kaur’s singing talent was first spotted by Khayyam during a music concert where she was singing a classical song. Khayyam approached her and offered her a track for the movie Shola Aur Shabnam (1961). In the film, she sang a solo including a duet with Mohammed Rafi. From then on, the musical bond between Jagjit Kaur and Khayyam had never broken.

• However, while talking about her first encounter with Khayyam, Jagjit said that one evening, Khayyam followed her on the overbridge of Dadar Railway Station. First, she panicked that he might be stalking her, but when he introduced himself as a music comper, she calmed down.

• While talking about her marriage with Khayyam, she said that her father was against their marriage, but she was determined to get married to Khayyam only. Despite her father’s disapproval, theirs was one of the film industry’s first inter-communal marriages.
  

  Jagjit Kaur Celebrating the 90th Birthday of Khayyam

• After a decade of Jagjit Kaur and Khayyam’s marriage, she sang the best song of her career- “Tum Apna Ranj-O-Gham” for Shagoon (1964). The song went on to immortalize Jagjit Kaur.

• Even in a short singing career, Jagjit became a versatile singer. From a folk tune like “Ladi Re Ladi” from Shola Aur Shabnam to a soft one like “Tum Apna Ranj-O-Gham” from Shagoon, Jagjit had touched every shade of singing. Moving further, her excellent traditional wedding songs, such as “Kaahe Ko Byahi Bides” (Umrao Jaan, 1981), “Chale Aao Saiyyan,” and “Dekh Lo Aaj Humko” (Bazaar, 1982)- all were for Khayyam and all are considered masterpieces.

• In an interview, Jagjit Kaur said that even after singing the timeless classics, such as Tum Apna Ranjo Gham, Khayyam never proposed her name to producers.
  

  An old Photo of Jagjit Kaur With Khayyam, Asha Bhosle, and others

• In 2012, Jagjit and Khayyam lost their son Pradeep who died of a heart attack.
  

  Jagjit Kaur With Her Husband and Son Pradeep

• When Khayyam turned 90, Jagjit and Khayyam decided to donate all their earnings to their charitable trust- Khayyam Jagjeet Kaur KPG Charitable Trust. While talking about it, Khayyam said-
  

  I have decided that I will donate my entire wealth to support artistes and technicians, who are in need in the film industry. I have given everything I had to my motherland.”

  

  Khayyam Jagjeet Kaur KPG Charitable Trust

• Reportedly, she was a collegemate of the former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, and in 2006, Manmohan Singh took time out from his busy schedule to meet Jagjit Kaur and Khayyam.
  

  Jagjit Kaur and Her Husband Khayyam with Manmohan Singh

• In August 2019, her husband Khayyam was admitted to a hospital in Juhu; following a fall while getting up from his armchair at home. Following the incident, Jagjit Kaur registered an alarming drop in her blood sugar count. Jagjit Kaur and Khayyam were allotted adjoining cabins, named ‘Lily’ and ‘Tulip’ in the hospital. On 19 August 2019, Khayyam breathed his last.