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Famous for generations throughout India, Bhosle also gained global acclaim and collaborated with international artists including Britain’s Boy George.
“Her extraordinary musical journey, spanning decades, enriched our cultural heritage and touched countless hearts across the world,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Over the course of her career, Bhosle was nominated for two Grammys and landed the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s top arts accolade, and also the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian honour.
“Be it her soulful melodies or vibrant compositions, her voice carried timeless brilliance,” Modi said in a message on X of Bhosle, whose career spanned eight decades.
Bhosle, who was the younger sister of singer Lata Mangeshkar, had been moved to a private hospital in Mumbai on Saturday evening because of a chest infection and exhaustion, her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle said earlier.
Meanwhile, her son Anand Bhosle informed reporters of arrangements for the singer’s last rites.
“My mother passed away yesterday. People can pay their last respects to her at 11am today at Casa Grande, Lower Parel, where she lived. Her last rites will be performed at 4pm today at Shivaji Park,” he said.
Bhosle began her career at the age of 10 singing in the Western Indian language of Marathi and went on to be recognised as the most recorded artist by the Guinness World Records in 2011, with more than 11,000 songs.
“Asha ji, who touched millions of hearts with her voice, left an indelible mark not just in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, and many other languages, but also in folk songs,” India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said.
“Her extraordinary ability to adapt to every genre of music won over every heart,” Shah said in a post on X.
The Chief Minister of her home state, Maharashtra, fondly remembered the time she made him sing. “We were together at a World Radio Day programme where she insisted that I sing Abhi Na Jao Chhodkar and remarked with a smile, ‘See, I made the Chief Minister sing.’ It is hard to believe that we will no longer have her presence among us,” he wrote.
Some of Bhosle’s most popular songs range from a Bollywood cabaret number titled Piya Tu Ab Toh Aa Ja, which translates roughly to ‘Come to me, my love’ to more soulful melodies like In Ankhon Ki Masti, meaning the mischief in my eyes.
She is widely known for being the voice behind spicy Indian cabaret songs in Bollywood, breaking out of the mainstream mold of modest, romantic songs traditionally sung by women.
She partnered with Boy George in 1991 for a track titled Bow Down Mister.
Some of her most popular songs include Chura liya hai tumne jo dilko, Dum maro dum, Jawan jaaneman and Jhumka gira re.
Tributes to Bhosle flowed from across the arts world.
“Her voice has been one of the pillars of Indian cinema and will continue to resonate world over for centuries to come,” Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan wrote on X.
Her talent will outlive many, Khan added.
“She who lent so much vivacity and character to her songs has left us grieving,” said actor Hema Malini on X.
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