Kerala singer known for 'Udit Narayan-like' voice dies suddenly in Dubai hours before Ajman show

Dubai: Indian expats from Kerala in the UAE are in shock and grief after the sudden death of popular Malayali singer Nisar Wayanad, who died at a Dubai hospital on Saturday evening, just hours before he was due to perform at a show in Ajman.

Nisar was best known for a voice similar to award-winning Bollywood singer Udit Narayan's and was popularly known by his stage name that included the name of the district, Wayanad, in Kerala, where he hailed from.

His official name was Nissar Aroth Ibrahim. He was 44, and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

According to his friends in Dubai, he was admitted to a hospital here after running a high fever on Saturday afternoon.

Gone too soon

Noujas Kayakkool, a close friend of Nisar who was among the last people to speak to him and who helped with the paperwork to repatriate his mortal remains, told Gulf News on Sunday that he was struggling to come to terms with how quickly life had turned upside down.

“He was with me earlier yesterday morning. I knew he had been running a fever for a couple of days, but he was taking paracetamol, thinking it would subside. Later in the day, he called to say he was going to the hospital. When I learnt from the hospital that his condition was serious, I was coordinating with them to ensure he received the best possible treatment. Unfortunately, the doctors could not save him,” Noujas said.

“He took on the responsibility of supporting his family at a very young age following the death of his father, and now he too has been taken from us far too soon. More than a talented singer, he was a very dear friend to me. This is an irreplaceable loss.”

Noujas said Nisar died just hours before he was due to perform at a show in Ajman.

Cause of death

The death notification listed the direct cause of death as “acidosis,” with the leading cause recorded as “systemic inflammatory response syndrome of infectious origin with organ failure.” The actual cause of death was stated as “other septicaemia.”

This indicates that a severe infection led to a systemic inflammatory response and organ failure, with acidosis occurring as a direct consequence.

Acidosis is a condition in which the body’s blood or other fluids become excessively acidic, often as a result of severe illness or organ dysfunction.

Noujas said he was unaware of any health condition other than diabetes that Nisar was already suffering from.

Midnight funeral rush

News of Nisar’s death sent shockwaves through the community. Some Malayalam content creators posted videos at midnight urging friends and fans to attend his funeral prayer at 2am.

UAE-based Malayalam vlogger Shahid Manikkoth, who attended the funeral prayer, said Nisar’s passing was a reminder of how good deeds can come back to us, even when we may not realise it.

“I have been in the UAE for 17 years, and this is the first time in my life that I have seen the paperwork for repatriating someone’s mortal remains completed in just four hours. On top of that, so many of our dear friends came rushing to the janazah prayer at in the wee hours with just a short notice after midnight. I cannot thank them enough. May the Almighty bless all those brothers and grant Nisar heaven,” he said in a post.

Around 300 friends and fans reportedly gathered for the janazah prayer, held at 3am. There were emotional scenes at the embalming centre, with many in tears.

Nisar’s relatives in the UAE, along with some of his friends, flew home to attend the funeral, to be held in his hometown in Kerala’s Wayanad district.

Loss to friends, family

Dubai-based event organiser, anchor and actor Yazir Hameed, who had hosted several shows with Nisar, was among the friends who accompanied the body to Kerala.

His friend and a media and event professional Nibin Navas, who had also worked with Nisar on several shows, said his death was a major loss to the Malayalam music industry and an irreplaceable loss for friends like himself and Yazir.

“Yazir and I were at another event in Sharjah when we received the news that he had been admitted to hospital. We rushed there immediately, but by the time we arrived, it was all over,” Nibin said.

“Whenever he came to Dubai, he used to sing at events hosted by our team at Eventides. Either Yazir or I would drive him around, and he would keep singing even inside the car. It was such a joy to hear him sing, whether on stage or off stage.”

Yazir’s wife, Anupama, said the news had shocked the entire family.

“We have known him for several years, and he was the one who inspired our daughter Ziyan to start singing on stage. She used to be a shy singer, and it was because of him that she found the motivation to perform on stage. He was an amazing artist and a dear friend of our family. We are deeply saddened by his loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” she said.

Busy season in the UAE

According to Nibin, Nisar arrived in the UAE in the second week of August and began this season’s run of shows with an Indo-Arab folk fusion performance at the 80th Indian Independence Day celebrations, organised by the Indian Association Sharjah, on August 15.

This was followed by several other shows, including a major Onam celebration at the Indian Club in Dubai. In between shows, Nibin said, Nisar performed at a restaurant inauguration alongside Malayalam playback singer and social media influencer Hanan Shah, who was greatly impressed by his voice and singing.

Nibin said Nisar had a packed line-up of shows in Dubai and Saudi Arabia this season and was set to expand his work further, with three or four playback-singing commitments lined up for upcoming films.

Underrated singer

He said Nisar was one of the most underrated singers in the Malayalam industry.

“He was often labelled a Mappilapattu (a traditional Muslim folk-song genre from Kerala) singer, although he sang a wide variety of songs, including many Bollywood numbers. He was gifted with a voice similar to Udit Narayan’s, and his renditions of those songs became particularly popular at shows."

Nisar's renditions of songs by popular Indian singer Arijit Singh and Pakistani singer Atif Aslam were also huge hits during his shows.

"He had also sung in a Kannada film. Unfortunately, the Malayalam film Professor Dinkan, in which he made his debut, was never released. We were all waiting for his upcoming movie projects.”

Familiar voice

Nisar had been a familiar face and voice at community events and shows in Dubai for many years. Dubai-based Malayalam actor, radio jockey and television host Mithun Ramesh said he had known Nisar for more than a decade.

“I first met him at shows in Dubai, but it was around 10 years ago that we invited him to appear on my show on Flowers TV. He was trying to make it big at the time, and it was a good platform for him,” Mithun recalled.

“His uniqueness was his voice, which was close to Uditji’s, and he knew almost all of Udit Narayan’s hit songs by heart. I still remember that whenever I took requests from the audience, he would effortlessly perform one hit after another and completely rock the stage,” he added.

Popular Malayalam playback singer Afsal also paid tribute to Nisar on social media, describing him as a “dear friend.”