Lata Mangeshkar, a beloved Indian singer who captivated generations of Bollywood audiences as the singing voice behind many actresses’ performances, died Sunday at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, India. She was 92 years old.
He died of complications from covid-19 after weeks of hospitalization, said Pratit Samdani, a doctor at the hospital, according to Indian media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter that he was “distressed beyond words.”
Ms. Mangeshkar leaves behind a legacy of tens of thousands of songs, mostly in Hindi but also in several other Indian languages. Most of her work was as a backup singer, a vocalist who does not appear on screen but records a character’s songs, which are then dubbed.
In India, however, she was far from anonymous. Her decades of work made her a revered figure. She received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest honor, in 2001. The Home Office said she would be given a state funeral and flags on government buildings would be flown at half-staff for two days.
Ms. Mangeshkar was known for her variety (she could sing in four octaves) and her gift for singing in character, matching her voice and emotions to the actress she was playing on screen. She recorded some of Bollywood’s biggest hits, including “Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya” (Why Fear Being in Love) from the 1960 film “Mughal-e-Azam.” In that scene, a courtesan defies an emperor in court by declaring her love for a prince. Dilip Kumar, who played the prince, called Ms. Mangeshkar’s voice “a miracle of nature’s creativity”.
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