He died on 12 October 1970, two days after his 40th birthday, in
Karachi under mysterious circumstances and was laid to rest at
Wadi-e-Hussain cemetery
Karachi. At the time of his death,
Shahnaz Gul, a contractor's wife, was found beside him unconscious. Some believed that Zaidi was murdered while others thought he committed suicide. In 2024, Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood-Khan wrote
Society Girl, which explores Zaidi's mysterious death and his affair with
Shahnaz Gul. == Literary works ==