BBC website reports |
Lata Mangeshkar, one of India's most beloved singers who provided the soundtrack to hundreds of Bollywood films, has died aged 92.
Mangeshkar was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai in January after testing positive for Covid-19.
Her extraordinary career spanned more than half a century and she recorded thousands of songs in 36 languages.
She will receive a state funeral in Mumbai on Sunday which will be followed by two days of national mourning.
During that period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country.
A the news broke, tributes began pouring in for Mangeshkar who was often called the "nightingale of Bollywood" for her role as a playback singer, recording the songs that actors would lip-sync on screen.
President Ram Nath Kovind said the news was "heart-breaking for me, as it is for millions the world over" and added that in her songs "generations found expression of their innermost emotions".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, said Mangeshkar's death had left a "void in our nation that cannot be filled".
Mangeshkar was a huge fan of cricket, and India's former captain Virat Kohli said her songs had "touched millions of people around the world".
Several Bollywood stars also expressed their condolences. Actor Hema Malini said she was "lucky" to have performed to several songs sung by Mangeshkar.
"No one can sing like her, she was very special. Her passing away is very saddening," she told the news agency ANI.
(Source: BBC website. This story is used on this website for training purposes. Headline composed by Newsroom. Photo from internet. This is not a commercial website)
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