Dharamshala — Tibetans inside Tibet and in Exile mourned the demise of the well-known singer Lobsang and expressed their gratitude for his songs. He sang songs about His Holiness the Dalai Lama, world peace, the fate of Tibet, unity among Tibetans and the importance of Tibetan language and culture. He was detained by China several times for his songs.
The highly regarded Tibetan singer Lobsang, or Amdo Lobsang, also known as Dawa Lobsang, passed away at the age of 39 in a hospital in the city of Chengdu on February 18, 2025. Following this sad news, Tibetans in Tibet and in exile expressed their great sadness at losing another patriotic singer who sang only in Tibetan, and urged Tibetans to learn the Tibetan language and culture.
Some people claim that he suffered from diabetes and tuberculosis in recent years, but others also doubt his death, as these illnesses are not life-threatening, indicating that the Chinese government did something to him because he was very active in singing patriotic songs, particularly songs praising His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.
Singer Lobsang has released over six albums and sung around 100 songs; his best-known songs include: World Peace, the Sun, Moon and Star (representing His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama and the Karmapa respectively), Fate of Tibet, Tibetan Brother and Sisters, Yangkar Dolma and The Sorrow and Joy of Snowland (Tibet). His other songs include His Holiness, Me and the Tibetans, The Fate of Our People, A Distant Call, A Child from Afar, Can't Live Without You, the Only One, Prayers of Pain, Singing for the lover, The White Mountain, Wishes, My lover, and many more. He also re-sung The Good Lama, which praises His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the good spiritual leader of Tibet and the first president of the Central Tibetan Administration (Tibetan government in exile), Lobsang Sangay, as the good leader of Tibet.
One fan said that Lobsang is generally very caring and often helps the poor in the Tibetan area. He also doesn't consider himself a star and isn't overbearing - whoever he gets on with, he is so kind and courteous.
In the song “The World Peace”, he sings: “The boy from Snowland is waiting the Sun of World Peace, waiting not one or two years for you. In these dark times, I miss the Moon of World Peace, I miss you not only in the mornings and evenings. I listen to you from the Yarlong River, the Yarlong River grows old, but I don't close my eyes. I look towards the Himalayas, I look for you, the Himalayas sleep, but I don't close my eyes.”
In the song “A Distant call”, singer Lobsang sings: “The soul of Tibet, the blood of Buddhism, the Tibetan language and alphabet, we must use them regularly. I am going to India to tell Avalokiteshvara (His Holiness the Dalai Lama) about the happiness and suffering of Tibetans”.
In a nutshell, Lobsang was an eminent singer who loved the Tibetan people and the Tibetan people. He was a kind-hearted singer who always helped the economically disadvantaged Tibetans. His sudden death was mourned by Tibetans both in Tibet and in the Diaspora.
A Tibetan in Tibet said, “My favorite singer, Lobsang, passed away today, I am deeply saddened. May Avalokiteshvara protect you. Thank you for your beautiful voice dedicated to Tibet”.
A Tibetan wrote: “It's a great loss for Tibetans to lose such a patriotic singer. Listening to his songs, my heart was so heavy that I couldn't control my tears”. Another Tibetan wrote: “Tibetan singer Lobsang passed away after a lifetime of singing in his mother tongue. Tibetans will never forget him.”
