Ekushey Padak winning artist Murtaza Bashir has died of COVID-19. He was 88.
He breathed his last at 9:10am on Saturday while undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU) of at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
A source of the hospital confirmed the death to Jago News.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her deep shock at the death of Bashir.
Bashir had been suffering from heart, lung, kidney and old-age ailments from a long time.
He tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.
Son of Dr Muhammad Shahidullah, a famous linguist, Murtaza Bashir was born in Dhaka’s Ramna on August 17, 1932. He was the chairman of the Fine Arts Department at Chattogram University.
He received the Ekushey Padak in 1980 for his contribution to art. He also received the Swadhinata Puroshkar in 2019.