The 75-year old intellectual had been suffering from pneumonia, lung and kidney diseases and was undergoing treatment in the hospital for the past few weeks.

Attending doctors said Waheedul breathed his last at around 5:00pm due to multi-organ failure.

He left behind his wife, two sons, two daughters and a host of relatives and well-wishers.

The body of Waheedul will be kept today at Chhayanaut Bhaban from 9:30am to 11:30am, at the central Shaheed Minar from 12:00noon to1:00pm and at the Jatiya Press Club at 1:30pm for the people to pay their homage.

Waheedul Haq was the founder of Chhayanaut, which played a vital role in igniting the flame of freedom among the people in the late 1960s prior to the country's Liberation War.

Apart from establishing the vanguard cultural organisation in 1961 along with some other enlightened persons, he also founded a number prominent cultural and poetry recitation organisations like -- Kanthashilon, Nalonda and Anandadhani.

Born to Mazharul Haq and Mewa Begum on March 16, 1933 at Bhawal Monoharia village under Keraniganj upazila, Waheedul was the eldest among three brothers and two sisters. His father was a member of Bengal legislative assembly in 1946.

His brother Rezaul Haq is also a journalist while another brother Ziaul Haq was a martyr in 1971.

During his 55-year long career in journalism, Waheedul served in the major English dailies of the country, including The Daily Star, where he worked as the joint editor. He was a shift in-charge of the daily Observer in the 1960s. Besides, he worked in The People, the Morning News and the New Nation.

He also taught at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) as a part-time teacher.

An eminent thinker, Waheedul was very active in political and cultural movements in the country over last half a century.

Once involved with left-leaning politics, he contested for parliament elections from Keraniganj. Later, he left politics and devoted himself in music.

Waheedul was also a pioneer in spreading secular spirit in the country. During the Hindu-Muslim riots in the 50s, he was there beside the minorities and always resisted the communal force.

Although he spent his whole life practising and tutoring Tagore song, he was very reluctant in bringing out an album. Bengal Foundation released one of his solo albums.

He formed Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammilon Parishad in 1980. A multifaceted talent, Haq was also involved with filmmaking and film movements.

Condolences

President Iajuddin Ahmed, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, Information Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalist (BFUJ) Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, president of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Altaf Mahmud, President of Jatiya Press Club Shawkat Mahmud along with various socio, political and cultural organisations expressed deep shock at the demise of Waheedul Haq.

In separate condolence messages, they observed that with the death of Waheedul Haq, the nation lost a courageous son and a great artiste. The vacuum created by his death could not be filled ever, they observed.

The other personalities and organisation which expressed shock at the death of Waheedul Haq include, BFUJ and DUJ general secretaries Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan and Omar Faruque, general secretary of Jatiya Press Club Kamal Uddin Sobuj, general secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Ayesha Khanom, Srot Abirty Sangsad, Chhayanaut, Bangladesh Workers Party, Sangeet Bhaban, Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation, Kanthashilon, Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association and Bangladesh Sports Writers' Association.