Prime Highlights
- Asha Bhosle died on Sunday at 92 due to multi-organ failure, a day after being admitted to Breach Candy Hospital for cardiac and respiratory complications.
- Prime Minister Modi said her musical journey enriched India’s cultural heritage, as tributes poured in from political leaders and the film industry.
Key Facts
- Asha Bhosle was an Indian playback singer who recorded songs for Bollywood films, which actresses would lip-sync on screen, over a career spanning eight decades.
- She recorded over 12,000 songs across more than 20 languages, won two National Film Awards, seven Filmfare Best Playback Awards, and received India’s second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan.
Background
India lost one of its greatest musical voices on Sunday when legendary Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle passed away at the age of 92. She died at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier for acute respiratory and cardiac distress. The hospital’s doctor confirmed the cause of death as multi-organ failure.
Her son Anand Bhosle confirmed the news and announced that her last rites will be performed at Shivaji Park Crematorium today. The ceremony is scheduled to take place with full state honours.
Born on September 8, 1933, in Sangli, Maharashtra, Bhosle began singing as a child alongside her elder sister, the late Lata Mangeshkar. Over a career spanning roughly eight decades, she recorded some 12,000 songs, singing in more than 20 languages. Her work covered film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, classical Indian music, folk songs, and qawwalis.
She won two National Film Awards, a record seven Filmfare Awards for Best Female Playback Singer, and received two Grammy nominations. In 2000, she received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest honour in cinema, and in 2008, the government awarded her the Padma Vibhushan
Her career also gained international reach through collaborations with British musician Boy George. In 1997, British band Cornershop released “Brimful of Asha,” a tribute to her that topped the UK Singles Chart in early 1998.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said her musical journey enriched the country’s cultural heritage and touched countless hearts across the world. Actor Shah Rukh Khan said her voice had been one of the pillars of Indian cinema and would continue to resonate worldwide for centuries.
