AK Ratul, vocalist of Owned, no more

AK Ratul, vocalist and frontman of the renowned Bangladeshi rock band Owned, passed away yesterday. He was 34.

According to his bandmate Pritom Arefin, Ratul suffered a cardiac arrest while he was at the gym around 3:30pm.

He was rushed to a private hospital in the capital, where he was pronounced dead.

Ratul, along with his band Owned -- formed in 2007 -- played a vital role in shaping Bangladesh's underground music scene, leaning heavily towards nu-metal and grunge-inspired music.

With their debut album "1" released in 2014, second album "2" in 2017 and the EP "Eighteen" released in 2021, the band garnered a huge following, owing to their fresh sound and particularly Ratul's unique vocal prowess.

Beyond his role as the Owned frontman, AK Ratul was also known in the industry as a stellar producer, having created many hit albums and singles for other bands in the rock community.

He was the son of late legendary Bangladeshi actor Abul Khayer Jashim Uddin, better known as Jashim. His brothers, AK Rahul and AK Samee, are also prominent names in the country's rock music scene.

An air of shock and grief surrounds the music industry as Ratul, who was in his mid-thirties, left too soon with a stellar musical legacy.

His namaz-e-janaza was held post-Maghrib at the Park Mosque in Uttara Sector 7. He was laid to rest beside his father at the Banani Graveyard.