ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday paid glowing tribute to the legendary singer Mehdi Hassan, who died last night at a Karachi hospital after a protracted illness.

The President and the Prime Minister, in their separate messages, said that Mehdi Hassan, whose professionalism spans an era of quality singing, would be remembered long.The President said Mehdi Hassan was an institution in himself and would always remain a beacon for the young artistes to learn from his mastery of singing.

Prime Minister Gilani said, “Mehdi Hassan is an icon, who mesmerized the music lovers not only in Pakistan but also in the Sub-continent for many decades.” Mehdi Hassan has around 25,000 songs to his credit in different categories, particularly Ghazals and play-back singing for films.

He is the receipient of various national awards, including Pride of Performance, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz, besides several international awards. AGENCIES