Acclaimed Rabindra Sangeet singer Papia Sarwar and Ekushey Padak laureate passed away at a private hospital in Dhaka on Thursday. She was 72.

Confirming the death news, her husband Sarwar Alam said she breathed her last at the hospital around 8AM.

Papia had been battling with cancer for three years. She was admitted to the ICU and placed on life support following a deterioration in her health condition on Wednesday.

She left behind husband and two daughters- Zaara Sarwar and Jisha Sarwar.

Papia Sarwar will be buried at Banani graveyard following a namaz-e-janaza after Jumma prayers.

Born on November 21 into a musically inclined family in Barisal, Papia Sarwar pursued Rabindra Sangeet at Biswa Bharati University in Santiniketan in 1973 through a scholarship offered by the government of India.

She was the first recipient of this scholarship after the country`s independence.

In 1996, she established a music group named `Geetosudha` to share her knowledge with aspiring learners.

Her modern song, `Nai Telephone Nai Re Peon Nai Re Telegram`, gained immense popularity among Bengali music enthusiasts.