Veteran Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle died in Mumbai on Sunday, a day after being admitted to hospital due to a chest infection. She was 92 years old.
Amid rumors of a heart attack, Bhosle’s granddaughter Zanai Bhosle on Saturday took to social media to inform her grandmother’s fans about her condition.
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Although Zanai has not yet issued any official statement, Bhosale’s doctor has confirmed his death. “He passed away a few minutes ago due to multi-organ failure,” Dr Pratit Samdani told Indian press agency PTI.
Meanwhile, her son Anand Bhosle informed reporters about the preparations for the singer’s funeral.
He said, “My mother passed away today. People can pay their last respects to her tomorrow at 11 am at Casa Grande, Lower Parel, where she lived. Her last rites will be performed at Shivaji Park tomorrow at 4 pm.”
Bhosale’s life and career
Born in a village called Sangli in the western state of Maharashtra, Bhosale was one of the most popular playback voices of Indian cinema. He started his music career in the late 50s and sang till the 1980s.
In 2011, the legendary singer was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in music history with over 11,000 songs.
Apart from several personal awards, Bhosle was awarded the Padma Vibhushan (the second highest civilian award in India), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (the highest award in the field of cinema) and two National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer.
Some of his most popular songs include “Abhi Na Jaao Chhod Kar,” “Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dilko,” “Dum Maaro Dum,” “Jawaan Jaaneman” and “Jhumka Gira Re.”
But his vast career in Indian playback music makes it almost impossible to create a list of hit songs. Most Indians across multiple generations have their own set of favorite songs recorded by the singer, who is affectionately known as “Asha Tai” – a tag for “elder sister”.
She is widely known for becoming the voice behind spicy Indian cabaret songs in Bollywood, breaking out of the mainstream of polite, romantic songs traditionally sung by women.
Bhosle was the younger sister of Lata Mangeshkar, another famous Indian playback singer, sometimes referred to as the “Nightingale of India”. Incidentally, Mangeshkar also passed away at the age of 92.
Despite the impressive popularity of Big Sister, Bhosle carved his own niche in India’s music industry and is lauded for being one of the most versatile singers in Indian history.
Tribute to ‘Asha Tai’
As soon as the news of Bhosale’s demise broke, tributes started pouring in from various industries. Celebrities took to social media to reminisce about their happy moments spent with him, with others mentioning their favorite songs of the playback icon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said she was “one of the most distinguished and versatile voices” of India. “I will always remember our conversations with her,” he said in a post on X, sharing photos of their past meetings.
The Chief Minister of his home state, Maharashtra, fondly remembered the time when he sang to her. “We were together at the World Radio Day event, where she insisted that I sing ‘Abhi Na Jaao Chhudde’ and smilingly said, ‘Look, I made the Chief Minister sing. It’s hard to believe that she will no longer be with us.’
Edited by: Carl Sexton