Kochi, Aug 1: Noted ghazal singer and composer from Kerala, Umbayee, passed away today at a private hospital at nearby Aluva, where he had been undergoing treatment for some ailments. He was 68. He is survived by his wife and three children, family sources said. The singer, who popularised ghazals among the common people in Kerala, had been undergoing treatment for some ailments for the last seven months. Umbayee, with his unique style of singing ghazals, had a huge fan following in the state.

He had performed ghazals in many states in India and abroad, particularly in the Gulf countries. An expert in playing the tabla and harmonium, Umbayee became adept in Hindustani music during his stay in Mumbai, the sources said.

His body will be placed at a community centre at Kalvathi in Mattancherry tomorrowfor the public to pay their last respects and later buried in a mosque at Kalvathi, they said.

In his condolence message, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Umbayee had popularised ghazals in Kerala for the past four decades. "He had developed his own style of rendering ghazals. His passing away is a great loss to the ghazal world," he said. KPCC President M M Hassan was among those who condoled the death of Umbayee.