Hundreds of admirers of Mehdi Hassan — the Voice of God as fondly dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar — in the state capital were left mourning as the ghazal maestro breathed his last in Karachi, Pakistan, on Wednesday.

While some shared their experiences of listening to his songs, others reminisced their first meeting with the maestro.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar condoled Hassan’s death and said: “Music lovers will never forget his ghazals. He will be remembered forever for the rendition of many unforgettable ghazals. He was the king of ghazal. His songs used to touch hearts.”

Actor and television personality Shekhar Suman told The Telegraph: “I am in a state of shock and unable to believe that he is no more. I was aware that he was not keeping well but hoped he would get well soon. He was the undisputed king of ghazal. He may not be present with us physically, but he will always be there in our hearts and minds.

“His death is a huge loss to the world of music. In his own words I would like to say, Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa phir se mujhe chhod ke jaane ke liye aa. I had met him a long time ago and have always been a fan. It is very unfortunate that we have lost him,” he added.

Dr Ajit Pradhan, the chief cardiologist at Jeevak Heart Hospital and Research Institute, has been practising music therapy to treat his patients. A huge fan of the ghazal maestro, Dr Pradhan said: “I have been listening to his ghazals for the past 30 years. He is the biggest ghazal singer in the history of music. His ghazals are so pure and mature. Listening to them, you realise he knows the grammar of ghazal. He is the one who explained the difference between Raag Desh and Raag Tilak Kamod. I never got an opportunity to meet him but a few days ago when he was in the hospital, I spoke to his son Asif and inquired about his health.”

Singer Daler Mehndi called Hassan “ghazal ka farishta (angel of ghazal)”.

He added: “The melodious voice of Mehdi Hassan saheb will be remembered forever. There is nobody like him and nobody can copy his voice. A very innocent and loving person, I have met him in Karachi as well as in USA. He was a down-to-earth person.”