Noor Jehan | |
|---|---|
 Noor Jehan in 1946 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Allah Wasai |
| Also known as | (ملکہ ترنم, English: The Queen of Melody); Madam Ji |
| Born | September 21, 1926 |
| Origin | Kasur, Punjab, British India |
| Died | December 23, 2000 (aged 74) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Genres | Qawwali, Indian music |
| Occupation(s) | film director, film actress, singer, music composer |
| Years active | 1930–1996 |
Noor Jehan (Punjabi/Urdu: نور جہاں) was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai (September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000). She was a Pakistani singer and actress of ethnic Punjabi origin. She is renowned as one of the greatest singers of her time in the Indian subcontinent and was given the honorific title of Mallika-e-Tarranum (Urdu: ملکہ ترنم, English: the queen of melody). She achieved special national recognition and popularity in Pakistan with her patriotic songs of 1965, which elevated her to an iconic level.
Along with Ahmed Rushdi, she has given voice to the many number of film songs in the history of Punjabi cinema. She is also considered to be one of the best female Punjabi film director.
Noor Jehan was born as Allah Wasai on 21 September 1926 to Punjabi Muslim parents Imdad Ali and Fateh Bibi in Kot Murad Khan, near Kasur, Punjab, British India. At the age of 11, she relocated with her family to Bombay in order to further her acting and singing career. After the 1947 partition and subsequent creation of Pakistan, Noor Jehan and her family settled in Karachi.
Noor Jehan was awarded the Pakistan President's Award in 1965.
She married Shaukat Hussain Rizvi in 1942. The marriage ended in 1953 with divorce. The couple had three children, including their singer daughter Zil-e-Huma. She then married Ejaz Durrani in 1959. The second marriage also produced three children. It ended in divorce in 1970.
In 2000, Jehan was hospitalized in Karachi and suffered a heart attack. Jehan died as a result of heart failure.
