Dallas Renowned Guitarist Mansoor Shehzad Passes Away from Throat Cancer, Community in Mourning
By: Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada
Dallas: Dallas’ famous guitarist Mansoor Shehzad passed away today after a brief illness. Six months ago, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, and he was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dallas. Mansoor Shehzad used to accompany singers from Pakistan and India in concerts held here. He performed with numerous artists. He began playing the guitar in Karachi during his teenage years in the 1980s and performed alongside Pakistan’s renowned pop singers like Alamgir, Shehzad Roy, Ali Haider, Saleem Javed, Hasan Jahangir, Shazia Khushk, Arshad Mehmood, Naeem Abbas Rufi, and other notable artists.
Mansoor Shehzad moved to the US in the 1990s and settled in Dallas. He faced many hardships here but continued to pursue his passion and remained connected to music. He performed with well-known singers from Pakistan and India. He was a lively person who always spread smiles. Six months ago, doctors diagnosed him with throat cancer, and he endured a lot of pain during these months. He was 47 years old and did not marry, choosing instead to make music his companion.
Mansoor Shehzad was a gentle and mystic soul who greeted everyone with humility. He was known among his friends as a sincere and loyal companion. Renowned Dallas musician Raheem Kishwani stated that he had never met anyone like Mansoor Shehzad, who never measured friendship with money or any other material benefit. He mentioned that he stayed in constant touch with him during his illness.
Mansoor’s father was the late Mansoor Ali Sundrani, while his mother, Malik Sultan, came to the US from Pakistan last month to visit him. His sister, Salma Taufeeq, who resides in Austin, was a great support during his final days. His sister has yet to announce the details of his funeral and last rites. Meanwhile, leaders of South Asia Democracy Watch and the Democratic Party, Syed Fayaz Hassan, President of Dallas Peace Center Aftab Siddiqui, former President of Pakistan Society Abid Malik, renowned Dallas singer and cricketer Faisal Akhtar, singer Ali, musician Ali Khan, and musician Allah Ditta’s son Ishrat Allah Ditta, who resides in Dallas, expressed that Mansoor Shehzad’s death has left Dallas without a master guitarist and a good human being. Editor-in-Chief of Jago Times, Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada, said he had known Mansoor Shehzad for the past 24 years and that he contributed to promoting Pakistani culture through cultural programs in Dallas. All the leaders prayed for the deceased’s soul to rest in Paradise and for his family to have patience.
Some old memorable pictures of Mansoor.
