A Singapore court has confirmed that Assamese singer Zubeen Garg passed away due to drowning near Lazarus Island in September last year. State Coroner Adam Nakhoda termed it as an unfortunate drowning incident following a thorough investigation by the Singapore Police Coast Guard. Zubeen Garg, a prominent cultural figure from Assam, was in Singapore to participate in the North East India Festival and tragically died on September 19, 2025, a day before his scheduled performance.
Witnesses informed the court that Garg, who had been on a yacht trip, had been drinking alcohol before entering the waters close to Lazarus Island. Initially, he had put on a life jacket for his first swim but later chose to swim without one despite advice from friends and eventually became unresponsive in the water. Efforts to resuscitate him upon being brought back onto the yacht were unsuccessful.
During the court proceedings, a toxicology report disclosed that Garg had a blood alcohol concentration of 333 mg per 100 ml, indicating significant alcohol consumption before the tragic incident. The Singapore court’s findings align with the earlier conclusions of the Singapore Police Force, ruling out foul play and attributing the singer’s demise to drowning after consuming alcohol and refusing to wear a life vest.
The repercussions of Zubeen Garg’s death are still unfolding in Assam, where a Special Investigation Team has pressed charges against multiple individuals, including event organizers and the singer’s associates, under various legal provisions. His untimely passing had deeply saddened Assam, with hundreds of thousands of fans bidding farewell as his body was brought back to Guwahati.
