India mourns the loss of ‘Queen of Melody’ Lata Mangeshkar
NEW DELHI: India on Sunday mourned the death of legendary Bollywood singer Lata Mangeshkar who captivated music lovers generation after generation regardless of age.
Mangeshkar died in Mumbai after he was admitted to hospital last month for being infected with COVID-19.
The 92-year-old legendary background singer is a major supporter of songs in Indian films, recording thousands of songs in various languages, including Hindi, his mother tongue Marathi and Bengali, in his career spanning seven decades.
Mangeshkar is known for her flexibility in singing and received the honor as the “Queen of Melody” of India.
“I am at a loss for words. The kind and loving Lata Didi has left us. Losing her, there is no substitute for our country,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his condolences.
“The next generation will remember him as a man loyal to Indian culture, his unrivaled melodious voice has mesmerized the masses,” he said.
Mangeshkar’s health has deteriorated and he relies on ventilator help at Breach Candy Hospital, according to reports.
He is undergoing “aggressive therapy”, doctor Pratit Samdani said in a statement on Saturday.
The eldest of five siblings, Mageshkar was born in Indore in central India, in 1929 and later moved to Mumbai (known as Bombay) as a teenager.
He studied classical music since childhood from his father and later studied with music world figures such as Ustad Aman Ali Khan Bhendibazarwale and Ustad Amanat Khan Devaswale.
His career journey in film singing began after he started working with Ghulam Haidar, the leading music director of the time.
He began to excel in the field of singing especially through the 1948 film “Majboor” and the success in the film bore fruit for subsequent songs.
Mangeshkar contributed his voice to countless devotional, romantic and patriotic songs and became popular through India’s national radio and television network.
Advances in film and music production techniques as well as the Internet continued to bring fame to him as he also witnessed the generation -after -generation transition in Bollywood.
Her 88 -year -old sister Asha Bhosle is also a well -known background singer.
Mangeshkar received several renowned national awards in the country, including Bharat Ratna’s highest public honor in 2001.
He settled in the Pedder Road area, a wealthy neighborhood in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra and the hub of Indian filmmaking and his departure was deeply felt there.
“Heartbroken, but grateful to have ever known and loved this incredible soul,” film actor Anil Kapoor wrote in his tweet.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray described his death as the end of an era.
Mangeshkar will be given a state funeral honor.
-BERNAMA
