Indian music legend Asha Bhosle dies aged 92

The Indian singer Asha Bhosle, whose voice defined Bollywood cinema and whose career spanned almost eight decades, has died in Mumbai at the age of 92.

Bhosle, who recorded more than 12,000 songs, became her country’s pre-eminent exponent of playback singing – recording tracks that were then lip-synced on film by actors. She also boldly embraced cabaret and western-influenced melodies to forge a distinctive musical identity.

Bhosle’s family said she died on Sunday after being admitted to hospital for extreme exhaustion and a chest infection.

News of her death prompted tributes and fond memories from politicians, artists and sports stars.

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, said he was deeply saddened by her death. “Her extraordinary musical journey, spanning decades, enriched our cultural heritage and touched countless hearts across the world,” he said. “She will continue to inspire generations and her songs will forever echo in people’s lives.”

The home minister, Amit Shah, said Bhosle had touched millions with her voice and left “an indelible mark not just in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati and many other languages but also in folk songs”.

The Bollywood actor and politician Hema Malini said she was still coming to terms with the news. “I just can’t believe how someone so full of life, she who lent so much vivacity and character to her songs has left us grieving,” she said, adding that Bhosle’s death was a “huge loss … for the whole of India that can never be compensated or replaced ever.”

The composer and producer AR Rahman said: “She lives forever with her voice and aura … What an artist.”

The cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said Sunday was “a deeply sad day for India and for music lovers across the world” and thanked Bhosle for “filling our lives with warmth, grace, and unforgettable music”.

Bhosle’s most popular songs range from a Bollywood cabaret number titled Piya Tu Ab Toh Aa Ja, which translates roughly as Come to Me, My Love, to more soulful melodies such as In Ankhon Ki Masti (The Mischief in My Eye).

She was born on 8 September 1933 to a musical family, and her four siblings also became accomplished singers and musicians. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, was a singer revered as “India’s nightingale”.

While often compared to Mangeshkar, who died in 2022, Bhosle walked her own path, embracing genres from pop to folk.

Her early life was marked by struggle, including a turbulent marriage at 16. She became one of Indian cinema’s most versatile and celebrated voices, receiving the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award in 2000 and two Grammy nominations.

Her talents became more familiar to western audiences through Bow Down Mister, her 1991 collaboration with Boy George, and through Cornershop’s 1997 tribute, Brimful of Asha. She featured on the Gorillaz album The Mountain, which was released at the end of February.

Tjinder Singh, Cornershop’s singer and guitarist, said on Sunday: “Few have reached the ability to be loved in so many languages and dialects, and even fewer have reached so many with the astonishment of heart that her songs gave us.”

Beyond music, she nurtured a passion for food, launching the Asha’s restaurant chain in Dubai and Britain.

Speaking to the Guardian in 2016, Bhosle said she had lived a tough but rewarding life. “I have faced life upfront, taken the blows head-on, never turned my back, and I am proud of all that I’ve achieved,” she said.

“I’m happy to have provided everything to my family and been successful in the career I chose. Music has given me great solace in my times of hardship. It has also brought me fame and wealth and I owe everything to music. I’ve enjoyed my life. There has been great tragedy but also moments of great happiness. I’ve taken both in my stride and if I were to replay my life, I would do it all over again.”

Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Associated Press in Mumbai contributed to his report.