Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar passes away

"She is no more. She died in the morning," Usha Mangeshkar, the singer's younger sister, told PTI.

Mumbai: Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar, the voice of generations of Indians and one of the biggest music icons of the country, died Sunday due to multiple organ failure, her sister Usha Mangeshkar and doctors treating her said.

She was 92.

“She is no more. She died in the morning,” Usha Mangeshkar told PTI.

“Lata di died at 8.12 am due to multi organ failure after over 28 days of COVID-19 diagnosis,” Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating the veteran singer at the city’s Breach Candy hospital here, told reporters.

The last rites will be held this evening.

The singing legend was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai in early January after she tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms and was also diagnosed with pneumonia.

Mangeshkar remained in the ICU for more than two weeks, following signs of marginal improvement in her health, following which the doctors treating her had taken her off the ventilator on January 28.

However, she was put on the ventilator again as her health started deteriorating from February 5 after which the team of doctors employed aggressive therapy to revive her.

Mangeshkar’s death plunged the country into mourning with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the tributes in a series of tweets.

“Lata-ji’s demise is heart-breaking for me, as it is for millions the world over. In her vast range of songs, rendering the essence and beauty of India, generations found expression of their inner-most emotions. A Bharat Ratna, Lata-ji’s accomplishments will remain incomparable,” the President said.

The prime minister said he was grieving the demise of the legend with “my fellow Indians”.

“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,” the PM said in a tweet.

“Lata Didi’s songs brought out a variety of emotions. She closely witnessed the transitions of the Indian film world for decades. Beyond films, she was always passionate about India’s growth. She always wanted to see a strong and developed India,” he said.

Known as the Queen of melody, Mangeshkar started training in singing at the age of five. She began her career as a singer in 1942 and has been credited to have sung 25,000 songs in as many as 36 Indian languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali and others over a period of seven decades.

Some of Mangeshkar’s unforgettable songs include ‘Lag Jaa Gale’, ‘Mohe Panghat Pe’, ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ , ‘Ajeeb Daastaan Hai’, ‘Hothon mein aisi baat’, ‘Pyar kiya to darna kya’, ‘Neela aasman so gaya’, ‘Pani Pani Re’, among countless others.

Considered one of the greatest playback singers in Indian cinema, she received several film awards and honors like Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and multiple National Film Awards.

She was also the recipient of Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 2001.