India mourns the passing of its "Melody Queen"

NEW DELHI - India on Sunday mourned the demise of famous Bollywood playback singer lata Mangeshkar who captivated generations of music lovers.

Mangeshkar passed away at a Mumbai hospital where she was admitted last month after contracting Covid-19.

The 92-year-old legend of playback singing, an essential feature of Indian movies, recorded thousands of songs in different languages, including Hindi, her mother tongue Marathi and Bengali, in a career spanning seven decades.

She was known for her versatility and revered as the "Melody Queen" of India.

"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," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his condolence message.

"The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people," he said.

Mangeshkar's condition had deteriorated and she was put on a ventilator at the Breach Candy Hospital, according to reports.

She was "under aggressive therapy", doctor Pratit Samdani said in a statement on Saturday.

The eldest of five siblings, she was born in Indore in central India, in 1929 and moved to Mumbai, then known as Bombay, as a youth.

She learned music as a child from her father and later studied classical music from experts such as Ustad Aman Ali Khan Bhendibazarwale and Ustad Amanat Khan Devaswale.

Her film singing career took off after she came in contact with Ghulam Haidar, a leading music director of that period.

She sang for the 1948 film "Majboor" and its success resulted in a succession of assignments for her.

Mangeshkar gave her voice to countless devotional, romantic and patriotic songs that became popular via India's national radio and television network.

Advancements in film and music production techniques and the Internet brought her more fame as she witnessed generational changes in Bollywood.

Her 88-year-old sister Asha Bhosle is also a famous playback singer.

Mangeshkar received some of the country's best-known national awards, including the highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna in 2001.

The grief was acute in Mumbai, Maharashtra's capital and India's filmmaking hub, where she lived in the wealthy Pedder Road locality.

"Heartbroken, but blessed to have known and loved this incredible soul," film actor Anil Kapoor wrote in a tweet.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray described her death as the end of an era.

Mangeshkar will be given a state funeral. - Bernama.