DHARAMSHALA, Feb. 29 : One of the foremost contemporary Tibetan musicians, Dubey, passed away at the age of 49 on February 27 after a lengthy treatment at a hospital in Chengdu of China’s Sichuan Province.
The singer succumbed to liver problems at around 10:30 p.m. and his friends and family reportedly requested that the remains to be transported to Nyima Lhadang Monastery for the last rites.
According to an unconfirmed video circulating in the social media, hundreds people are seen surrounding the carriage of his remains paying their last respect to the artiste, who was called the Cuckoo of the Snowland.
The artiste from Amdo, northeastern Tibet, broke into limelight in the 1980s and was one of the finest students of Palgon, another great contemporary musician. Dubey has introduced and popularized mandolin in Tibetan music and her recorded thousands of songs.
The late musican has composed songs like The Sound of Unity performed by Sherten (the song was banned by the Chinese authorities) and Land of Snows performed by Dekyi Tsering, a popular new generation singer who also hails from Amdo. Dubey’s most notable work is Faraway Friend, a tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The news of his demise has prompted prayers and wishes from Tibetan on both sides of the Himalayas. Tibetan writers, including Theurang aka Tashi Rabten and Kyabchen Dedrol have already posted tributes online.
