MUMBAI: Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle passed away at the age of 92 here on Sunday.
Her son Anand Bhosle confirmed the news and said the last rites will be held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Monday at 4 pm.
"She is no more. Her last rites will be held at 4 P.M. tomorrow at Shivaji Park in Mumbai," Anand wrote on X.
Bhosle had been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital on April 11. Her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle had said earlier that the veteran singer was hospitalised due to extreme exhaustion and a chest infection.
One of India’s most celebrated voices, Bhosle had a career spanning decades and was known for her versatility across genres, from film songs to ghazals and classical music.
She lent her voice to numerous popular tracks, including Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, Kajra Mohabbat Wala, Rangeela Re and Dil Cheez Kya Hai.
Born into a musical family, she began her career at a young age and went on to become one of the most recognised playback singers in the country.
Her passing marks the end of an era in Indian music and has left fans across generations mourning her loss.
Bhosle was born on September 8, 1933, in Goar in Sangli, Maharashtra, to Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and his wife Shevanti. Her father was a classical singer and stage actor. He died when she was just nine, leaving the family to fend for themselves.
After his death, the family moved first to Kolhapur and later to Mumbai. It was here that Asha and her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar began working in films, both acting and singing to support the household. She started young, and by 1943 she had already recorded Chala Chala Nav Bala for the Marathi film Majha Bal.
Her entry into Hindi cinema came a few years later. She sang Saawan Aaya for Chunariya in 1948, although one of her earlier recordings was released the same year in another film. Her first solo Hindi film song came in 1949 for Raat Ki Rani.
Over the years, she became one of the most recognisable voices of Hindi cinema, especially during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. That period had some of the biggest names in playback singing — Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Manna Dey — and Asha Bhosle stood among them with her own distinct style.
She could sing almost anything. Film songs, ghazals, bhajans, classical pieces, cabaret numbers, folk — she moved between styles with ease. She recorded songs in more than 20 languages, including several foreign ones. At one point, she herself said she had sung over 12,000 songs.
Her work was recognised with some of the country’s highest honours. She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008. She also won two National Film Awards for Dil Cheez Kya Hai from Umrao Jaan and Mera Kuch Samaan from Ijaazat.
Her career lasted more than eight decades, and for many listeners, her voice remained a constant presence through changing times in Indian music.