✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Nayyara Noor

Nayyara Noor biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Nayyara Noor Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth3 November 1950

Age71 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceGuwahati, Assam, India

ProfessionSinger

NationalityPakistani

Marital statusMarried

SpouseShehryar Zaidi

FamilyTwo sons: Naad-e-Ali and Jaffer Zaidi; daughters-in-law Yamina Peerzada and Mandana Zaidi

Nayyara Noor Biography

Nayyara Noor (3 November 1950 – 20 August 2022) was a celebrated Pakistani singer known for her ghazals and playback work in film and television. Honoured,

Early life and background

Nayyara Noor was born on 3 November 1950 in Guwahati, Assam, India. Her family had earlier moved from Amritsar to Guwahati before her birth. Her father was a businessman and an active member of the All-India Muslim League; the family home was connected to influential political figures of the era. In 1957 Noor’s mother relocated to Karachi with her children, while her father initially remained in India to tend to the family’s property and later moved to Pakistan in the early 1990s.

Noor grew up listening to devotional and classical recordings, and names such as Kanan Devi, Kamla, Begum Akhtar and Lata Mangeshkar influenced her listening as a child. She attended college in Pakistan, where a professor with grounding in classical music recognised her voice and encouraged her to pursue singing. Despite this, she did not receive formal musical training.

Career

Nayyara Noor began her professional career at Radio Pakistan. She later expanded into television, singing for programmes including Taal Matol and Sach Gup. Alongside work for radio and TV she performed ghazals and Urdu poetry at private mehfils and public mushairas, building a reputation for interpretive depth and emotional clarity.

Noor also worked as a playback singer for Pakistani films. Her film songs from the 1970s include performances in Gharana (1973), Mastana (1973), Parda Na Uthao (1974), Farz Aur Mamta (1975), and Bobby and Julie (1978). She was honoured within Pakistan’s music community: she won the Nigar Award for Best Playback Female Singer for Gharana (1973), received three gold medals at the All Pakistan Music Conference concerts, and in 2006 was awarded the Pride of Performance by the President of Pakistan.

Her repertoire included many ghazals that became closely associated with her voice, including Woh Jo Hum Mein Tum Mein, Rang Barsaat Nay Bharay Kuchh Tou, Phir Sawan Ruth Ki Pawan Chali Tum Yaad Aaei, and Kabhi Hum Bhi Khubsurat Thay. Noor also recorded patriotic material, lending her voice to the national song Watan ki mitti gawah rehna.

In 2012 she announced her retirement from professional singing, describing music as a passion rather than a priority at that stage of her life.

Personal life and family

Nayyara Noor met Shehryar Zaidi while participating in inter-collegiate musical events; their friendship developed into marriage. The couple had two sons. One son, Naad-e-Ali, worked as a voice-over artist and singer; the other, Jaffer Zaidi, became lead vocalist of the band Kaavish. Her daughters‑in‑law include Yamina Peerzada, an actress married to Jaffer Zaidi, and Mandana Zaidi, a video creator married to Naad-e-Ali.

Public profile

Throughout her career Noor was widely celebrated in Pakistan and was known by honorifics such as Bulbul-e-Pakistan and Nightingale of Pakistan. She cited singers including Noor Jehan, Farida Khanum, Kanan Bala, Begum Akhtar and Lata Mangeshkar among her favourites. Her death in August 2022 prompted public condolences from national figures including the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Death and funeral

Nayyara Noor died on 20 August 2022 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, at the age of 71. The cause of death was cancer. Her funeral prayers and last rites were held at Jamia Masjid O Imambargah Yasrab in Karachi.

Latest updates

Noor’s retirement in 2012 marked the end of her professional public performances, and she passed away a decade later in 2022. Tributes at the time of her death highlighted her contribution to Pakistani music across radio, television, film and the ghazal tradition.
◈

Recent Work

Retirement announcement

She announced her retirement from professional singing in 2012.

2012
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan (2006)
  2. Nigar Award for Best Playback Female Singer for Gharana (1973)
  3. Three gold medals at the All Pakistan Music Conference concerts
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Nayyara Noor born?

3 November 1950

What is Nayyara Noor known for?

Singer

What is Nayyara Noor’s marital status?

Married

Who is Nayyara Noor married to?

Shehryar Zaidi