Lata Mangeshkar Dies At 92. Flag At Half-Mast, 2-Day Mourning

Two-day national mourning will be observed in memory of Lata Mangeshkar who died today in Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital, the government said. The funeral will be held this evening at 6.30 pm with full state honours.

As a mark of respect for the legendary singer par excellence, the national flag will fly at half-mast for two days.

Called the Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar was admitted to the hospital in January with Covid-19 and pneumonia. On January 8, the 92-year-old singer was taken to intensive care unit. Even after recovering from Covid, she was put on ventilator support after her condition worsened on Saturday.

Daughter of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar and Shevanti Mangeshkar, Lata Mangeshkar was born on September 28, 1929 in Indore in Madhya Pradesh. She started her career at the early age of 13 after the death of her father as she had to look after her mother and four siblings.

Her father played a monumental role as an early influence on the budding singer being a well-known Marathi musician and theatre artiste himself.

Lata Mangeshkar recorded her first Hindi song called "Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu" for the Marathi feature Gajaabhaau and went on to collaborate with Bollywood titans like Anil Biswas, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali and SD Burman among others.

In her unmatched career during which she sang in more than 1,000 movies, Lata Mangeshkar became one of the most acclaimed playback singers of Bollywood.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the loss of the Bharat Ratna awardee saying, "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," PM Modi wrote in a series of tweets.

"The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled."

"I am anguished beyond words," he added.