New Delhi, Oct 10 : Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Monday condoled the death of Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh.

In her condolence message, Soni said: "The untimely death of Jagjitji has left a void which will be difficult to fill. As a singer and composer, he understood the tastes of the common people. He amalgamated Ghazals with lyrics and Geet in such a way that he narrowed the gap between the understanding of classical music and modern Ghazal singing.

"His unique voice was a departure from the prevalent style of ghazal rendition, which instantly became a hit with the masses. All his compositions were lyrical masterpieces and shall remain embedded in our minds foreover," she added.

She further said: "I pray to God that the members of the bereaved family gather the strength to overcome the crisis".

Jagjit Singh, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Mumbai''s Lilavati Hospital last week, passed away this morning. He was 70.

Jagjit Singh was admitted to the ICU due to a brain hemorrhage and he underwent an emergency neurosurgery on admission.

He is survived by his wife Chitra Singh, with whom he had produced several record breaking albums. Their only son Vivek Singh had died in a road accident in 1990.

Born on February 8, 1941, Jagjit Singh was a singer, composer, activist and entrepreneur. He has sung in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali.

Unlike other ghazal singers, Singh did not hesitate in lending his voice for films. His voice ruled during early 80''s in films like Prem Geet, Saath Saath and Arth. However, his major work is spread over more than 60 filmy and non filmy albums.

Jagjit Singh was the first Indian music director to use the technique of multi-track recording for his album ''Beyond Time''. (ANI)