Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle died in Mumbai on Sunday at the age of 92. The news was confirmed by her son Anand Bhosle.
Dr Pratit Samdani of Breach Candy Hospital said she had been admitted on Saturday evening after her condition deteriorated due to a chest infection and fatigue. “She was admitted to the hospital around 7 pm on Saturday following a decline in her condition, due to chest infection and fatigue, and was under close observation in the ICU. She was brought in a critical state and despite all efforts, she succumbed to multi-organ failure at 12 noon today,” he said.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, Anand Bhosle said, “She passed away today. Those who wish to pay their last respects can visit her residence tomorrow at 11 am. The last rites will be performed tomorrow at 4 pm at Shivaji Park.”
Bhosle had been admitted on April 11 following extreme exhaustion and a chest infection, according to an update shared by her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle.
Her passing brings to a close a recording career that stretched across more than eight decades. She began singing at the age of 10, making her debut with “Chala Chala Nav Bala” in the 1943 Marathi film Majha Bal. She entered Hindi cinema with “Saawan Aaya” in Chunariya (1948), before gaining wider recognition with “Maang Ke Saath Tumhara” and “Uden Jab Jab Zulfein Teri” in Naya Daur (1957), where she sang for Vyjayanthimala.
While contemporaries such as her sister Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Dutt dominated the 1950s, Bhosle went on to build one of the most extensive recording catalogues in Indian music history.
