Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar dies at 92

NEW DELHI: Lata Mangeshkar, a legendary Indian singer with a prolific, groundbreaking catalogue and a voice recognised by a billion people in South Asia, has died, her doctor said. She was 92. The iconic singer died of multiple organ failure at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, Dr Pratit Samdani told reporters. She was hospitalised on January 11 after contracting Covid 19. Over the course of nearly eight decades, Mangeshkar was a major presence as a playback singer, singing songs that were later lip-synced by actors in India's lavish Bollywood musicals. She was also fondly revered as the "Melody Queen" and "Nightingale of India." Mangeshkar's songs, always filled with emotion, were often sad and mostly dealt with unrequited love, but others involved national pride. Born in Maharashtra on September 28, 1929, Mangeshkar first sang at religious gatherings with her father, Deenanath Mangeshkar, who was also a trained singer. After she moved to Mumbai, India's film industry capital, she became a star with immense popular appeal, enchanting audiences with her smooth but sharp voice and immortalising Hindi music for decades to come. By RSS/AP