Legendary Indian singer Asha Bhosle has passed away at the age of 92.
She had been unwell for the past few months and was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday after developing heart and respiratory complications. She was kept in the ICU in critical condition, where she died later that night.
With a musical career spanning more than seven decades, Bhosle recorded thousands of songs and left a profound impact not only on Indian music but also on global music. Her songs have remained popular across generations.
Her death marks the end of a significant era in Indian music. The news was confirmed on Sunday afternoon by her son, Anand Bhosle, and has also been reported by the Indian media. The family said her last rites will be performed on Monday.
One of the most successful, popular, and versatile playback singers in Indian cinema, Bhosle was often compared only with her late sister, Lata Mangeshkar.
Born in 1933 into the Mangeshkar family, she began her professional singing career at the age of nine. She recorded her first film song in 1943 and had established herself in Bollywood by the 1950s. Over the following three decades, she became a preferred voice for most leading composers.
Though initially confined to dance numbers, she later expanded her range and excelled in ghazal singing, notably in films like Umrao Jaan.
She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer seven times and received two National Film Awards for songs such as “Dil Cheez Kya Hai” from Umrao Jaan and “Mera Kuch Samaan” from Ijaazat.
In a 2023 interview with Hindustan Times, Bhosle had shared her views on contemporary music, saying she rarely listened to modern songs and preferred classical music, ghazals, and songs by Bhimsen Joshi to continue learning and refining her singing.
She also noted that meaningful lyrics are less common in today’s music, although she appreciated some contemporary artists such as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sunidhi Chauhan.
