Lata Mangeshkar, legendary singer who mesmerised millions with her golden voice, has died in Mumbai on Sunday morning. She had been admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital on January 8 after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia. She was 92.
"She is no more. She died in the morning," Usha Mangeshkar, the singer's younger sister,” told PTI.
The music icon was showing improvement until last week but her health deteriorated and she was put back on ventilator support on Saturday morning. She recovered from COVID-19 and pneumonia on January 30.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took to Twitter condoling the death of Lata Mangeshkar. Two-day national mourning to be observed in memory of Lata Mangeshkar, Indian government sources informed on Sunday. The Indian national flag to fly at half-mast for two days, as a mark of respect, and will be given a State funeral.
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
In November 2019, Mangeshkar was admitted to the same hospital after she complained of difficulty in breathing and was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was discharged after 28 days.
Born in Indore, she remained the voice of screen idols for generations. She began her career at the age of 13 in 1942 and had sung over 30,000 songs in several Indian languages in over seven decade-long career.
She began singing to support her family after the death of her father Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar 1942. Lata was a classical singer and theatre actor. In Bollywood, Lata Mangeshkar got her first major break with the song Dil Mera Toda from the 1948 film Majboor. However, her song Aayega Aanewaala from the movie Mahal (1949) became her first major hit.
Lata Mangeshkar’s musical gems need no introduction. She has sung in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and other regional languages. She has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award as well as several National and Filmfare Awards. Lata Mangeshkar’s last complete album was for 2004 Bollywood release Veer-Zaara.
