Kolkata, Jun 2 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed sorrow over the demise of santoor maestro Bhajan Sopori, who breathed his last in a New Delhi-based hospital.

"Sad to know of the demise of Pandit Bhajan Sopori, known to be the Saint of Santoor. The maestro was a great Indian instrumentalist, and his untimely demise is a major loss to our cultural world. My sincere condolences," Banerjee tweeted.

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Sopori, often referred to as the 'saint of santoor' and 'king of strings' for his mastery over the instrument, died on Thursday at a Gurugram hospital following a battle with cancer. He was 73.

He is survived by wife and two sons, both santoor players, Sorabh and Abhay.

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)