Peter John Karthak, 76, founder member of Darjeeling’s first professional band Hillians and a writer of repute, breathed his last in Kathmandu on Wednesday morning, creating a void in the Nepali musical scene across the world.

K.K. Gurung, a member of the band who is currently based in Darjeeling, said he had received information that Karthak had died at 5.30 early this morning losing his battle to cancer.

“I spoke to him about a month ago and he talked about his recently diagnosed illness. It is a great loss for our community,” said Gurung.

Karthak’s funeral will take place at Pashupati crematorium in Kathmandu at 10am on Thursday.

The lead guitarist was born in Shillong on December 12, 1943, but later moved to his mother’s place in Peshok tea garden and stayed briefly in Bijanbari before shifting his base to Darjeeling.

It was in Darjeeling that Karthak joined hands with fellow musicians in 1961 to form Hillians, a name that was proposed by his friend Choden Tshering Bhutia, who later served in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

The band was also called the Beatles of Sikkim by Time magazine following its performance during the coronation of Palden Thondup Namgyal, the last Chogyal (king) of Sikkim, in 1965.

Karthak also teamed up with famous jazz musician Louis Banks.

The Hillians comprised Ranjit Gazmer — a renowned music director who worked with R.D. Burman in Bollywood — on the drums, Mark Karthak (Peter’s younger brother) as rhythm guitarist and lead singers K.K Gurung on bass and Phurba Tshering on trumpet and flutes.

“The band had Lalit Tamang and Basant Tamang and after they had left, I and Ranjit Gazmer completed the line up,” said Gurung.

The bands came up with super hit numbers like “Mayalu” and song “Ramra Ramra Bhavana” was composed by Amber Gurung, whom Karthak considered as his mentor.

Amber Gurung had composed Nepal’s national anthem.

Nooren Dunne, a contemporary of Karthak, said: “They were iconic at their time, He was very poetic and he wrote about young people, spoke about their hopes and dreams and they were very original.”

Karthak left Darjeeling for Nepal in 1966.

Karthak, who worked as a journalist in Nepal, also authored a novel Kathmandruids and another book My Novel A Young Wandering Mudlark in Old Kathmandu. He is known for his write-ups on various Nepali luminaries.