Legendary Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle, whose voice defined Bollywood music through the 1970s and 80s, died in Mumbai aged 92, her family says.
The two-time Grammy nominee died on Sunday at the Breach Candy Hospital, where she had been admitted for “extreme exhaustion” and a chest infection.
“My mother passed away today. Her last rites will be held tomorrow at Shivaji Park in Mumbai,” her son Anand Bhosle told reporters on Sunday.
Bhosle recorded more than 12,000 songs in multiple Indian languages over a seven-decade career.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by her death.
In a post on X, Indian President Droupadi Murmu said her death is “an irreparable loss to music lovers”.
Born on September 8, 1933, to a musical family, Bhosle began singing as a child alongside her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, after their father’s death.
Often compared with Mangeshkar – revered as “India’s nightingale” who died in 2022 – Bhosle forged her own path, embracing genres from pop to folk.
Her early life was marked by struggle, including a turbulent marriage at 16.
She went on to become one of Indian cinema’s most versatile and celebrated voices, receiving the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001 and earning two Grammy nominations.
Bhosle also collaborated with global artists well into her later years, including a recent feature on British virtual band Gorillaz’s album The Mountain (Parvat).
Tributes also poured in from other music legends and Bollywood actors.
Two-time Grammy winner AR Rahman posted a picture with Bhosle on Instagram and wrote in the caption, “She lives forever with her voice and aura … What an artist.”
Singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan told the Press Trust of India news agency that it is “a very sad day” for everyone in India’s music industry.
“Every Indian is heartbroken today. Her music will never perish as long as humanity exists,” he said.
Bollywood actress and Member of Parliament Hema Malini, whose movies Bhosle sang for, posted on X: “It is especially hard for me as I have an emotional connect with Asha ji – she has made many of my songs so popular with her unique voice and style.”
Beyond music, she nurtured her passion for food, launching her “Asha’s” restaurant chain in Dubai and the United Kingdom.
According to Indian media reports, Bhosle’s mortal remains will be kept at her residence in Mumbai until Monday morning so that people can offer their tributes.
