Entertainment
Kerala Singer Nisar Wayanad Dies Suddenly in Dubai Ahead of Scheduled Ajman Performance
Members of the Kerala expatriate community in the UAE are mourning the sudden death of popular Malayali singer Nisar Wayanad, who passed away at a Dubai hospital on Saturday evening, just hours before he was scheduled to perform at a show in Ajman. Nisar, whose official name was Nissar Aroth Ibrahim, was widely admired for a voice reminiscent of acclaimed Bollywood singer Udit Narayan. He took his stage name from Wayanad, the district in Kerala where he was born. He was 44 years old and leaves behind his wife and two daughters.
According to close friends, Nisar had been running a high fever for a couple of days but assumed it would pass with paracetamol. On Saturday, his condition worsened, prompting him to seek hospital treatment. Noujas Kayakkool, a close friend who helped coordinate the repatriation of his remains, said he had spoken with Nisar earlier that morning and later learned his condition had become critical. Despite medical efforts, doctors were unable to save him.
The official death notification cited the direct cause of death as acidosis, with the underlying cause listed as systemic inflammatory response syndrome resulting from an infection, leading to organ failure. The condition was ultimately attributed to septicaemia, a severe blood infection. Friends said they were unaware of any pre-existing health issues apart from diabetes.
News of his death spread rapidly through the Malayali community in the UAE, with social media influencers and vloggers urging people to attend his funeral prayers, held at 3am. Around 300 friends and fans reportedly gathered for the janazah prayer. Vlogger Shahid Manikkoth noted that the paperwork for repatriating Nisar’s remains was completed within four hours—an unusually swift process—thanks to the support of the community.
Nisar’s relatives and several friends, including event organiser Yazir Hameed, travelled to Kerala to attend his funeral in his hometown in Wayanad district. Nibin Navas, a media professional who had worked with Nisar on various events, described his death as a major loss to the Malayalam music industry, recalling how Nisar would sing spontaneously, even during car rides between shows.
Yazir’s wife, Anupama, said Nisar had played a key role in encouraging her daughter Ziyan to pursue singing, helping her overcome stage shyness. She described him as “an amazing artist and a dear friend of our family.”
According to Nibin, Nisar had arrived in the UAE in mid-August and performed at several events, including the 80th Indian Independence Day celebrations organised by the Indian Association Sharjah on August 15, and Onam celebrations at the Indian Club in Dubai. He also performed alongside singer and influencer Hanan Shah at a restaurant inauguration. Nisar had further engagements lined up in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, along with three or four playback singing projects for upcoming Malayalam films.
Friends said Nisar, though often categorised as a Mappilapattu singer—a traditional Muslim folk genre from Kerala—was versatile and performed a wide range of music, including Bollywood hits and songs by Arijit Singh and Atif Aslam. He had also sung for a Kannada film, and his Malayalam film debut, Professor Dinkan, was never released.
Dubai-based actor and television host Mithun Ramesh, who had known Nisar for over a decade, recalled inviting him to perform on his show on Flowers TV around ten years ago, noting his remarkable ability to sing hit after hit in Udit Narayan’s style. Popular playback singer Afsal also paid tribute to Nisar on social media, calling him a “dear friend.”