Prashant Tamang, the Indian Idol Season 3 winner and actor, has died at the age of 43. Tamang, who won the reality show in 2007, passed away on Sunday morning at his residence in Delhi, India. According to close associate Rajesh Ghatani, a music composer and film producer, the cause of death was a heart attack.
Born on January 4, 1983, in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, to Rupa Tamang and Madan Tamang, Prashant Tamang was a singer and actor of Nepali origin. He attended St. Robert School. Following the death of his father in an accident, Tamang joined the Kolkata Police as a constable, taking his father's place. While serving in the police force, he sang for the police orchestra. Tamang is survived by his grandmother, mother, and sister, Archana. He married Geeta Thapa (Martha Alley), a flight attendant, on February 16, 2011, in Nagaland, India.
Tamang's journey to fame began when he auditioned for Indian Idol 3 in Kolkata. His friends and seniors, including Mr. Zulfiqar Hasan, Special Additional Commissioner of Police, encouraged him to participate, recognizing his vocal talent. Throughout the competition, Tamang received mixed comments from the judges but consistently avoided being in the bottom three or four. In the final, he competed against Amit Paul, ultimately winning the contest by a significant margin, garnering approximately 70 million votes, ten times more than his competitor. As the winner of Indian Idol, Tamang received a cash prize of 10 million Indian rupees and a Maruti Suzuki SX4 car.
Tamang's victory sparked widespread celebrations and support, particularly among the Gorkha community. Travel was organized in Howrah, Kolkata, to support him, with his sister, mother, and grandmother participating. In Pokhara, Nepal, Radio Annapurna (93.4 MHz) launched a donation campaign, sending the collected sum of NRs. Seventy-thousand to Darjeeling to support votes for Tamang. Himalaya Darpan, a Nepali newspaper in Kolkata, organized a signature campaign in his support. Schools, clubs, and other organizations rallied people to support and vote for Tamang, who was hailed as "पहाडको गौरव" (Pahad Ko Gaurav), meaning "Pride of the Hills".
Besides his successful singing career, Tamang also ventured into acting, playing leading roles in Nepali films such as "Gorkha Paltan" and "Pardeshi". He also appeared in the web series "Paatal Lok 2". A film titled "Battle of Galwan," in which he shared screen space with Salman Khan, is yet to be released. Some of his popular songs include "Man Sainli," "Gorkha Paltan," and "Asarai Mahinama".
The news of Prashant Tamang's death has been met with widespread grief, with many artists expressing their condolences and paying tribute on social media. His contribution to music and his impact on Nepali-speaking audiences have been widely recognized.
