Legendary Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar, popularly known as the "Nightingale of India" and one of the country's top cultural icons, died on Sunday at the age of 92.
She passed away at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital where she was admitted in early January after testing positive for Covid-19, her doctor Pratit Samdani told reporters.
Her condition had deteriorated in recent days and she died of multiple organ failure, Samdani said.
“I am anguished beyond words,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
“The kind and caring Lata Didi [Hindi for elder sister] has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled,” Modi said.
Born on September 28, 1929, Lata Mangeshkar was a revered and internationally known artist who inspired generations of singers.
She began singing in her teenage years and in a career spanning over seven decades, recorded an estimated 30,000 songs in 36 languages.
Prestigious awards
However, it was her work in Bollywood, where she lent her voice in over a thousand Hindi films, that made her a national icon.
She received several prestigious awards including the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001.
Mangeshkar, who belonged to a prominent musical family from the western state of Maharashtra, also composed music and produced films.
The government announced two days of national mourning in memory of the legendary singer during which which the national flag will be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect.
