lit a candle 9 Sept 2026The comparison to Udit Narayan followed him everywhere, but Nisar Wayanad was his own artist. Immediately recognisable on stage, they said.
Their story
Nissar Aroth Ibrahim, known on stage as Nisar Wayanad, was a Kerala singer whose working life sat between Mappilapattu, the Muslim folk-song tradition of Malabar, and the Hindi film songs that Malayali audiences in the Gulf asked for by name. He died on the evening of Saturday 5 September 2026…
Nissar Aroth Ibrahim, known on stage as Nisar Wayanad, was a Kerala singer whose working life sat between Mappilapattu, the Muslim folk-song tradition of Malabar, and the Hindi film songs that Malayali audiences in the Gulf asked for by name. He died on the evening of Saturday 5 September 2026 in a Dubai hospital, hours before he was due to perform in Ajman. Gulf News, Mathrubhumi and IBTimes India reported his age as 44. Kerala Kaumudi reported 43. No public source used here pins a birth day, so that date is left unset. He was not Bollywood singer Udit Narayan, and he was not any other singer named Nisar.
He was a native of Kambalakkad in Wayanad district. The stage name kept the district with him. Close friend Noujas Kayakkool told Gulf News that Nisar took on responsibility for supporting his family at a very young age after his father's death. Kerala Kaumudi identified him as the son of Ibrayi and Zainaba of Iroth House in Kambalakkad, and named his wife as Shahana Nisar. Mathrubhumi likewise named wife Shahana Nisar, two daughters, and siblings. Gulf News and IBTimes India said he was survived by his wife and two daughters, without printing the daughters' names.
What audiences remembered first was the voice. Friends and reporters compared it with Bollywood singer Udit Narayan. That likeness was a gift and a label. Nibin Navas, a media and events professional who worked with him on shows, told Gulf News that Nisar was often filed as a Mappilapattu singer even though he sang a wide set of songs, including many Bollywood numbers. Renditions associated with Udit Narayan became particular hits on stage. So did songs associated with Arijit Singh and Atif Aslam. IBTimes India said he had been active on the Mappilapattu and stage-show circuit for nearly two decades, and had worked as a playback singer as well as a live performer.
The film side of the career stayed thinner than the stages. Gulf News reported that he had sung in a Kannada film, and that the Malayalam film Professor Dinkan, in which he made his debut, was never released. Friends said further playback work had been lined up. His own Instagram account described him as a playback singer and live performer in Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada, booking international shows.
Dubai knew him as a working singer, not only a visiting name. Radio host and actor Mithun Ramesh told Gulf News they had first met at Dubai shows, and that about a decade earlier Ramesh had invited him onto a Flowers TV programme when Nisar was still trying to make it big. Ramesh remembered the request segment: Nisar knew almost all of Udit Narayan's hit songs by heart and would move from one to the next without fuss. Event organiser and actor Yazir Hameed hosted several shows with him. Nibin Navas said that when Nisar came to Dubai he sang at Eventides events, and that either Navas or Hameed would drive him around while he kept singing in the car. Yazir's wife, Anupama, said Nisar had inspired their daughter Ziyan to start singing on stage.
Mathrubhumi reported that he had sung with Udit Narayan in Bahrain and won the crowd. The Times of India later quoted a social media post in which Nisar wrote that meeting Udit Narayan was a dream he had held for years, and that he had waited 20 years for the meeting. That post was not retrieved as a live permalink for this profile, so it is cited only as reported by the Times of India.
The 2026 Gulf season was already underway when he died. Navas told Gulf News that Nisar arrived in the UAE in the second week of August and opened the run with an Indo-Arab folk fusion set at the 80th Indian Independence Day celebrations organised by the Indian Association Sharjah on 15 August. Other dates followed, including a major Onam celebration at the Indian Club in Dubai and a restaurant inauguration beside Malayalam playback singer and influencer Hanan Shah. Navas said the diary still held Dubai and Saudi shows, and three or four playback commitments for upcoming films.
The illness moved faster than that diary. Noujas said Nisar had been running a fever for a couple of days and was taking paracetamol, thinking it would pass. They had been together on the Saturday morning. Later Nisar called to say he was going to hospital. Friends including Yazir and Nibin were at another event in Sharjah when they heard he had been admitted. They reached the hospital after doctors could no longer save him. Gulf News reported the death notification as listing acidosis as the direct cause, systemic inflammatory response syndrome of infectious origin with organ failure as the leading cause, and other septicaemia as the underlying cause. Noujas said he knew of diabetes and of no other standing condition. Some local Malayalam reports described a heart attack. That is not what Gulf News reported from the death notification, and this profile does not treat the heart-attack line as established.
The community that hired him also buried him. Gulf News described a midnight rush: Malayalam creators posted videos urging people to a janazah in the small hours. UAE-based vlogger Shahid Manikkoth, who attended, said the paperwork to repatriate the body was completed in about four hours, which he had never seen in 17 years in the UAE, and that friends came after midnight on short notice. About 300 people were reported at the prayer, with emotional scenes at the embalming centre. Relatives in the UAE and friends including Yazir Hameed flew to Kerala for rites in his hometown in Wayanad. No cemetery name was published in the sources used.
Playback singer Afsal called him a dear friend on social media, according to Gulf News and the Times of India. Navas called him one of the most underrated singers in the Malayalam industry. The public record is a working singer's record: house name, district, two decades of requests, a voice people booked because it sounded like someone more famous, and a Saturday in Dubai when the next show never happened.
Biography adapted from Gulf News; Kerala Kaumudi; Manorama News; IBTimes India; Mathrubhumi; Times of India; Instagram @nisar.wayanad bio..
In their own words
“He took on the responsibility of supporting his family at a very young age following the death of his father, and now he too has been taken from us far too soon. More than a talented singer, he was a very dear friend to me. This is an irreplaceable loss.”
Noujas Kayakkool, close friend, to Gulf News, September 2026.
“He was with me earlier yesterday morning. I knew he had been running a fever for a couple of days, but he was taking paracetamol, thinking it would subside.”
Noujas Kayakkool to Gulf News, about Saturday 5 September 2026.
“Whenever he came to Dubai, he used to sing at events hosted by our team at Eventides. Either Yazir or I would drive him around, and he would keep singing even inside the car. It was such a joy to hear him sing, whether on stage or off stage.”
Nibin Navas, media and events professional, to Gulf News, September 2026.
“He was often labelled a Mappilapattu singer, although he sang a wide variety of songs, including many Bollywood numbers.”
Nibin Navas to Gulf News, September 2026.
“His uniqueness was his voice, which was close to Uditji's, and he knew almost all of Udit Narayan's hit songs by heart.”
Mithun Ramesh, radio host and actor, to Gulf News, September 2026. Uditji is Udit Narayan. Nisar Wayanad was not Udit Narayan.
“he was the one who inspired our daughter Ziyan to start singing on stage.”
Anupama, wife of event organiser Yazir Hameed, to Gulf News, September 2026. Lower-case opening as reported.
“A dream I've held onto for so many years has finally come true... I waited 20 years for this moment, to meet him in person and give him a heartfelt hug.”
Nisar Wayanad, words reported by the Times of India from an earlier social post about meeting Udit Narayan. Permalink not re-fetched. Not treated as a live post ID, and not placed in posts.
“dear friend”
Playback singer Afsal, as reported by Gulf News and the Times of India, remembering Nisar. Short phrase only; no status URL was printed.
Photos
1Nisar Wayanad, the Kerala stage singer from Kambalakkad, in the Kerala Kaumudi Daily obituary photo published 5 September 2026. Bearded man in sunglasses and a white shirt. This is not Bollywood singer Udit Narayan and not another singer named Nisar.
by People Forever
That's the mark of a real performer, isn't it. Someone you knew the moment they opened their mouth.