Overview
- The veteran artiste died at his residence near Areekkadu in the early hours of Tuesday after nearly two months of treatment following a stroke.
- Across a decades-long career he composed more than 3,000 Mappilappattu songs that became staples on stage, radio and recorded albums.
- He began with M. S. Baburaj’s troupe and worked as a tablist for leading film music directors such as G. Devarajan and Bombay Ravi, collaborating with top Malayalam singers.
- Family sources said he composed a new melody just two days before becoming bedridden; burial services were scheduled for the same day and he is survived by children Ghulam Ali, Roshni, Femina and Sajina.
- Mappilappattu is a traditional Muslim folk-song form from Kerala’s Malabar region and Abubacker’s work helped bridge that folk practice with broader Malayalam music, a gap his death will deepen for the community and for efforts to preserve the genre.