Lata Mangeshkar, a beloved singer from India whose voice was an integral part of Bollywood movies for decades, died Sunday. She was 92.
Mangeshkar died at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, India, The New York Times reported.
The singer died of complications from COVID-19 after weeks of hospitalization, Pratit Samdani, a doctor at the hospital, told Indian news outlets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he was “anguished beyond words.”
I am anguished beyond words. The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people. pic.twitter.com/MTQ6TK1mSO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6, 2022
Known as the “nightingale of India,” Mangeshkar was a playback singer -- providing music to be mimed by actors -- for scores of Indian movies, CNN reported. Mangeshkar sang more than 25,000 songs in more than 1,300 movies, mostly in Hindi but in several other Indian languages, including Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada and Gujarati, according to the Times.
She had a soft voice but could sing in four octaves, the newspaper reported.
“The day I started working as a playback singer, I prayed to God: ‘No more acting in films,’” Mangeshkar said. “He listened to me and I got a fairly good position in playback singing.”
Mangeshkar recorded some of Bollywood’s biggest hits, including “Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya” (Why Fear to Be in Love) from the 1960 film “Mughal-e-Azam,” according to the Times.
Mangeshkar was born on Sept. 28, 1929, in Indore, in what is now the state of Madhya Pradesh, according to the newspaper.
The golden voice will live with us forever even though it will be heard no more. ✨
— Sangpu Changsan (@_sangpuchangsan) February 6, 2022
Rest In Peace 🤍🙏🏻#LataMangeshkar #RestInPeace #OmShanti #Music #Legend pic.twitter.com/JKQr0GW6DN
She began training with her father in classical Indian music when she was 5 years old, CNN reported. Mangeshkar started her career by singing at his musical plays, performing in public for the first time when she was 9 and recording her first song four years later, the news outlet reported.
She received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest honor, in 2001, the Times reported.
The Indian government ordered two days of national mourning, CNN reported. The national flag will be flown at half-mast through Monday, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement Sunday.
“There will be no official entertainment,” the ministry said.
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