Sometimes, the universe hits pause, and for Assam, that was Zubeen Garg’s final journey home. Newsfeeds flooded, and even that grumpy uncle who pretends he’s too cool for Bollywood got misty-eyed. If you grew up in the North-East, you didn’t just listen to Zubeen, you lived him. Here’s how an icon’s last ride turned Guwahati’s roads into a runway of memories, emotions, and more crowd-sourced nostalgia than your cousin’s shaadi album.
1. So, Here’s What Actually Went Down
Zubeen Garg tragically passed away on September 19, 2025, initially reported as a drowning accident; officials later clarified he was swimming without a life jacket when it happened. His body reached Delhi close to midnight on September 20, and by the crack of dawn on September 21, Assam had turned collective heartbreak into action. At Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, crowds greeted the flower-laden ambulance with chants of “Jai Zubeen da,” rallying behind family and friends as the convoy took the slowest, most meaningful city ride ever.
Image courtesy The Hindu
2. The Crowd That Broke The Internet
Assam ki jaan, Assam ki shaan, the crowd showed up like it was the final episode of your favorite show. Tens of thousands clogged Guwahati’s arteries, petals in the air, clutching gamosas that screamed “Z G Forever” and phone screens that refused to look away. Shops shut down shutters, impromptu candlelight meets popped up, and late-night gatherings felt less like mourning, more like a mega unplugged gig. If you had even one of his tracks on your 00s playlist, you felt the ache.
Image courtesy The Hindu
3. State Honour. People’s Icon.
The Assam government must have sensed: you can’t lose a voice like this without shaking something official. They declared a three-day state mourning from September 20–22—no half-measures when your icon’s basically the state’s soundtrack. The cremation is scheduled with full state honours near Guwahati on September 23.
4. The Legacy Playlist We’ll Never Stop Replaying
Zubeen wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder, think decades, not years. He gifted us thousands of songs in more than 40 languages and dialects (bro, he pretty much invented “going viral before it was cool”). He made bops like “Ya Ali” cross over into everyone’s memory lane. From gig stages to Bihu fields, people called him the reason ‘home’ feels like a genre—just check the timelines, tributes from artists and fans poured in faster than you could say “encore.” Assam’s community vigils and new song circles show that the playlists will live offline too, not just under a hashtag.
Image courtesy The Sentinel Assam
We came for a last glimpse but stayed for a whole lifetime of songs. For now, Assam’s not just playing Zubeen Garg; they’re celebrating and him while he lives on through his art.