Canadians mourn death of ‘underdog’ Sidhu Moose Wala who ‘found success in Brampton’

The tragic death of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala has sent shockwaves across Canada, the country where he rose to stardom.

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popular by his stage name Sidhu Moose Wala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on Sunday evening.

According to the police, the vehicle he was traveling in was fired at approximately 30 times. The 28-year-old singer died while being taken to the hospital. While a huge number of fans gathered at the agricultural land where Moose Wala was cremated today to catch the last glimpse of the noted singer, Canadians mourned the death of the ‘underdog’ who found his success in the country.

Moose Wala, like most Punjabis, went to Brampton, Ontario, in 2016 as an international student, but soon became a massive figure in the music industry delivering chart-topping hits.

“Brampton is where he found his success,” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation quoted journalist Jaskaran Sandhu, co-founder of Baaz News, as saying.

According to Sandhu, there were reports of people taking a day off from school and work to mourn the death of the rapper.

Moose Wala’s background is what connected him more to not just the student community but also immigrants who came from India and those who were raised in the city, Sandhu said.

The singer had a “huge impact on the community” and inspired many who came to Canada, CBC quoted Rupen Bhardwaj, as saying. Bhardwaj is a music video director based in Brampton who made Moose Wala’s videos like Legend and B-Town.

His was a case of an ‘underdog story’, said Bhardwaj, talking of how the singer came to have a life in Canada and rose to such an acclaim.

Speaking about the phenomenal growth of the rapper, Indian international student at Sheridan College Mehak Kaur told news website globalnews.ca that Moose Wala shook up the music industry in just four years.

Despite his decision to join politics in India and run for election, Canadians believe Moose Wala was one who always stood up for his adopted home of Brampton.

“He really took in the culture. He really did put Canada on, and that’s why people, especially Canadians, loved him so much because he kept it real,” Parminder Singh, a Punjabi media personality, told globalnews.ca.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)