The renowned artist of Tokari Geet, Umakanta Bairagi passed away at the age of 80 at his residence in Guwahati’s Hengrabari on Wednesday morning.

Umakanta was suffering from prolonged illness and he breathed his last at 7.10 am today. He was a recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Born in the year 1942 in Dibrugarh, Umakanta has received several prestigious awards including Pratima Pandey Award and Dr Bhupen Hazarika Sanghati Award.

In 1971, he was conferred with the title of Bairagi by Dibrugarh Radio Station.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his grief over the demise of the folk artist.

Taking to Twitter he said that the death of Umakanta Bairagi is an irreparable loss to the cultural and social spheres of the state.