Folk musician and Padma Shri awardee, Sonam Tshering Lepcha passed away. He was born in Kalimpong, West Bengal in 1928. He started his career as a soldier. He travelled to various parts of Sikkim and complied a wide range of Indian folk and traditional Lepcha songs and played folk music on All India Radio in 1960. He was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution in the field of folk music.