Legendary Asha Bhosle, who recorded over 12,000 songs, dies at 92

VETERAN Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle died in Mumbai on Sunday at the age of 92, her family said.

She died at Breach Candy Hospital where she had been admitted with complaints of "extreme exhaustion" and a chest infection. Her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle said she was admitted on Saturday evening due to a chest infection and exhaustion.

"My mother passed away today (Sunday). Her last rites will be held tomorrow at Shivaji Park in Mumbai," her son Anand Bhosle told reporters.

"People can pay their last respects to her at 11 am tomorrow at Casa Grande, Lower Parel, where she lived. Her last rites will be performed at 4 pm tomorrow at Shivaji Park," he said.

Bhosle recorded more than 12,000 songs in multiple Indian languages over a career spanning decades. She began singing at the age of 10 in 1943 for the Marathi film “Majha Bal” and continued performing into the late 2010s.

Prime minister Narendra Modi said he was "deeply saddened" by her death.

"Her extraordinary musical journey, spanning decades, enriched our cultural heritage and touched countless hearts across the world," he said in a post on X.

"She will continue to inspire generations and her songs will forever echo in people's lives."

Born into a musical family, Bhosle began singing as a child alongside her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar after their father's death.

Often compared to Mangeshkar, who died in February 2022 at the age of 92, Bhosle built her own career across genres including pop, folk and ghazals.

She married Ganpatrao Bhosle in 1949 at the age of 16 and later married composer R D Burman. She is survived by her son Anand and her grandchildren.

Bhosle sang for more than eight decades and was among the most recorded voices in Indian cinema. She won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Vibhushan, National Awards and other music honours.

She worked with composers including O P Nayyar and R D Burman and was known for songs across genres, including “Aaja, Aaja”, “Chain Se Ham Ko Kabhi”, “Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar”, “In Ankhon Ki Masti”, “Dil Cheez Kya Hai”, “Piya Tu Ab to Aaja”, “Duniya Mein Logon Ko”, and “Zaara Se Jhoom Loon Main”.

She also sang for actors including Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Zeenat Aman, Kajol, Urmila Matondkar, Padmini and Vyjayanthimala.

In 2023, she performed at “ASHA@90: Live in concert” in Dubai to mark her 90th birthday.

Beyond music, she ran the "Asha's" restaurant chain in Dubai and the UK.

(With inputs from agencies)