Obituaries of Month June 2012

Meadi Hussan (84) :- Legendary Pakistani Ghazal Samraat of Indian origin and South Asian icon whose music soared above borders of India and Pakistan, whose style influenced most ghazal singers of both countries, who used used verses written by poets from both countries, died in Karachi on June 13. His long list of melodious Ghazal includes Ranjish hi sahi, Patta patta boota boota, zindagi mein to sabhi, Gulon mein rang bhare, Dekhto dil ke jaan se uthta hai, abke kum bichhde to khwabon mein mile.

Ray Bradbury (91) :- Renowned science fiction master of US who transformed his childhood dreams and cold war fears into telepathic Martians, lovesick sea monsters and the high- teach, book-burning future of “Fahrenheit 451” and whose writing ranged from horror and mystery to humor and sympathetic stories about the Irish, blacks and Mexican Americans, died on June 5.

Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz (70) : Crown Prince and the hardline interior minister who spearheaded Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on al Qaeda in the kingdom after the September 11 attacks and then rose to become next in line to the, died on June 16.

Nora Ephron (71) : – Renowned US essayist, author and Hollywood filmmaker who thrived in the male-dominated worlds of movies and Journalism died in New York on June 26. She was the rare woman to write, direct and produce Hollywood movie like when Harry Met Sally, Julie & Julia and Sleepless in Seattle.

Victor Spinetti (82) : – An acclaimed comic actor of UK who won a Tony award in 1965 for his Broadway performance in Oh, what a Lovely War and appeared in several Beatle movies including a hard Day’s Night, Help and Magical Mystery Tour, died on June 19.

Radha Vindu Raja (63) :- Super Sleuth, anti-terrorism expert and the first chief of National Invention Agency (NIA), Widely known as the real-life “Sethurama  Iyer CBI” and Investigation Team (SIT) that cracked the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case in 1991, died in Kochi on June 21.

Dr. Abid Hussain (85) :- Former ambassador to the US who was honoured with Padma Bhushan for meritorious services in 1998, and was currently a Senior trustee of the observer research foundation, New Delhi died in London on June 21