Rocker Tran Lap dies at 42

Born on December 12, 1974 in Nam Dinh province, Lap showed his musical talent at very young age. He was a student of the Hanoi College of Art from 1993 to 1997. In 1995, he joined his friends to establish a rock band named ‘Buc Tuong’ (The Wall), which quickly became the country’s most famous rock band of the last two decades.

The band received a number awards from newspapers, television and magazines. It was chosen as the representative of contemporary Vietnamese music to attend a music festival in France in 2003.

As the lead vocalist and musician of the band, Lap was best known among the youth for songs like ‘Duong Den Vinh Quang’ (Path to Glory), ‘Tam Hon Cua Da’ (Soul of Stone), ‘Mat Den’ (Black Eyes) and ‘Vo Hinh’ (Invisible).

Lap was diagnosed with rectal cancer on November 4, 2015 and underwent surgery three days later. During the treatment, he always showed optimism and a positive attitude. In January, he visited and presented gifts to cancer patients at the National cancer Hospital (K Hospital) in Hanoi.

His friends, band members and supporters held a concert in Hanoi the same month to raise funds for him and other cancer patients.

His condition worsened earlier this month and Lap passed away at home at 12:45 yesterday, surrounded by his family and friends.