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Published : 12 Apr 2026, 02:08 PM
Veteran Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle, whose extraordinary voice shaped more than eight decades of Indian cinema and music, has died in Mumbai at the age of 92, her family has confirmed.
She passed away after being admitted to Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday, Apr 11, following what was described as a brief illness, NDTV reports.
Her son, Anand Bhosle, confirmed the news, telling NDTV: “She is no more. Her last rites will be held at 4pm [Sunday] at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.”
According to NDTV, her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle had earlier stated on social media platform X that the veteran singer was hospitalised due to “extreme exhaustion and a chest infection”.
Born in 1933, Asha Bhosle began singing at the age of 10, recording her first playback song for the 1943 Marathi film Majha Bal.
Over the decades, she rose to become one of the most recognisable voices in Indian cinema, delivering enduring classics such as "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja", "Rangeela Re", "Kajra Mohabbat Wala", and "Dil Cheez Kya Hai".
Tributes Pour in
With more than 12,000 songs in her decades-long career, she sent shockwaves through her passing to generations that grew up listening to her melodious voice.
As the news broke, condolences and tributes started pouring in, especially from the music and film industry alongside the political arena. Her global fanbase is also shocked.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, "My condolences to her family, admirers and music lovers. She will continue to inspire generations and her songs will forever echo in people's lives."
Singer Jubin Nautiyal, director Karan Johar, actors Hema Malini, Akshay Kumar, Jr NTR and Neetu Kapoor, and fashion designer Rahul Mishra, among others, also left condolence messages on social media.
‘Multi-Organ Failure’ Caused the Death
Doctor Prateet Samdani said the singer had been dealing with multiple health issues and died due to “multi-organ failure".
Culture Minister Ashish Shelar in the Indian state of Maharashtra also announced the death.
Meanwhile, Bhosle's son said people will be allowed to pay their last respects at her residence at 11am local time on Monday.
Personal Gains
The younger sister of melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, Bhosle bagged her first National Award in 1981, and the second in 1988.
She won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, in 2000, and the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour, in 2008.
Her X handle has 4.2 million followers, with her Instagram profile boasting of 760,000 followers. And her official Facebook page has an 870,000-strong following.
Her last recorded Hindi film song is “Rut Bheege Tan” from the 2022 movie styled “Life's Good”.
In 2025, she moved the Bombay High Court seeking personality rights. She was granted ad-interim protection in a landmark ruling.
Family Life
Despite continuing to rise through the ranks throughout her career, Bhosle’s personal life saw both highs and lows.
At just 16, she eloped with her personal secretary, Ganpatrao Bhosle and had three children with him.
After years of alleged mistreatment by her first husband and in-laws, she separated from Ganpatrao in 1960.
Twenty years later, Bhosle got into wedlock with music composer Rahul Dev Burman. The couple, however, did not have any children together.
Her daughter Varsha committed suicide in 2012 and her elder son Hemant died of cancer in 2015.
'Rivalry' With Lata
A trailblazer in her own right, Bhosle was forever grateful to have her 'Didi' [elder sister Lata] by her side.
Then again, she always wanted to have her own identity, leading to “stories of their rivalry”.
Neither of them, however, was ever confirmed by her.
"People did carry tales and try to create trouble, but blood is thicker than water. I remember, sometimes both of us would be at a function and some industry types would ignore me and interact only with her, as if to prove their loyalty,” Bhosle once said in an interview.
“Later, Didi and I would have a good laugh."
In 2023, she skipped a quiet family gathering marking her 90th birthday and jetted off to Dubai for a massive live concert, instead.
"At 90, standing on stage for three hours belting out songs. I'm thrilled I can still do it," she said before the show.
She added, "If we stop breathing, we die. For me, music is my breath. I've lived by that, given everything to music, survived tough times when I thought I couldn't go on-and here I am."
Bhosle would have turned 93 on Sept 8.
