Amitabh Bachchan mourns Lata Mangeshkar’s death, writes: ‘Her voice resounds now in the Heavens’

Describing Lata Mangeshkar as ‘the voice of million centuries’, actor Amitabh Bachchan paid homage to the singing legend who passed away on Sunday. Lata (92) died at a hospital in Mumbai around 8.12 am due to multiple organ failures.

Amitabh Bachchan took to his personal blog to bid adieu to the melody queen. “She has left us… The voice of a million centuries has left us .. her voice resounds now in the Heavens !” he wrote. “Prayers for calm and peace ..” the 79-year-old actor added.

Lata had tested positive for Covid-19 with mild symptoms and was admitted on January 8 to Breach Candy Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) where she was being treated by Dr Pratit Samdani and his team of doctors.

After her death, Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating the singer at Breach Candy Hospital, issued a statement. “It is with profound grief that we announce the sad demise of #LataMangeshkar at 8.12 am. She has died because of multi-organ failure after more than 28 days of hospitalisation post #COVID19,” Dr Pratit informed as quoted by news agency PTI.

Lata Mangeshkar will be accorded a state funeral, said Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. The last rites will be held in the evening.

Several celebrities including Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor paid tribute to Lata. Anushka, sharing a monochrome photo of a young Lata, wrote on Twitter, “‘God speaks through beautiful voices’ Sad sad day for India as our nightingale leaves her mortal body. Lataji’s voice has immortalised her forever. She will live in our hearts through her music. My deepest condolences to her family, friends and fans. RIP Lataji.”

Priyanka also shared a photo of Lata on Instagram Stories and said, “The music will never stop. Om Shanti Lataji.” Parineeti wrote, “I learnt Hindustani classical music, but was given leeway to do riyaaz on her songs. Students were tested on whether we could sing with even 1/10th of her skill. She is India’s music legacy. Thank you Lata ji, for inspiring singers, audiences, and .. music itself,” she wrote. AR Rahman posted a photo with Lata on Instagram and said, “Love, respect and prayers.”

Also Read | RIP Lata Mangeshkar: Priyanka Chopra says ‘music will never stop’, Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma call her immortal

Regarded as one of Indian cinema’s greatest playback singers, Lata started her career in her teenage years in 1942 and has sung over 25,000 songs in various Indian languages.

In her over a seven-decade career, she was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award.