NEW DELHI, Feb 6 – Legendary Indian playback singer and music composer Lata Mangeshkar died today at the age of 92.
Known as “The Nightingale of India”, the singer who has been singing from the age of 13 has sung more than thousands of film songs in numerous Indian languages, primarily in Hindi, as well as ghazals and bhajans (devotional songs).
India today declared a two-day national mourning period for the singer, who is said to have died of pneumonia.
Expressions of grief has been pouring in the social media, with many Indian actors expressing their grief over the death of Lata, who had given her sweet voice to heroines of Hindi movies from the 50s to the more recent days of Bollywood as well other regional cinema world.
Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi also expressed deep grief over the passing away of the singer, saying he had spoken to her family and expressed his condolences.
The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people, a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau of India said today.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister also spoke of the passion the singer had for India.
“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.
“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.”
Lata was born in Indore, India on Sept 28, 1929.