Rafiq passed away at 10:15 pm in the intensive care unit of BIRDEM Hospital, according to doctors overseeing his treatment. He had been on life support since Wednesday evening, suffering a cardiac arrest minutes before his death.

Earlier in September, Rafiq had been admitted to LabAid Hospital before being transferred to Health and Hope Hospital in Panthapath. He was moved to BIRDEM Hospital on Sunday under the care of Dr. Kaniz Fatema, head of the ICU. Doctors said he had long struggled with kidney complications and had suffered several mild strokes in recent weeks.

Born on September 12, 1929, in Brahmanbaria, Ahmed Rafiq was a poet, essayist, and noted Tagore researcher. He lived alone in a rented apartment in Dhaka’s New Eskaton neighborhood, having lost his wife in 2006. He had no children.

Apart from an extensive personal library, colleagues said he left behind little material wealth but a lasting intellectual legacy in Bangladeshi literature and cultural history.