With the death of the ICON of Ghazals..Begum Akhtar, Ghazal as an artform was in the throes of death. Mehdi Hasan saved it and made it a popular medium which even common people without any great knowledge of urdu-adab, or classical music, can understand and appreciate.
Jagjit Singh took fromHasan and then the rest is history.
Mehdi Hasan remains the legendary master. His various ghazals, composed melodiously, sung beautifully are evergreen treasure, Pyaar Bhare Do Nain, and Zindgi mein to sabhi pyar kiya karte hain... are my favorites, I must have heard them hundreds of times, I never get tired.