Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle dies, recorded over 12,000 songs

JAKARTA - Asha Bhosle, one of the most influential singers in the history of Bollywood, died in Mumbai at the age of 92. The sad news closed the almost eight-decade career of a figure who recorded more than 12,000 songs and was widely known as one of the most versatile voices in Indian cinema.

Launching a report by The Guardian quoted on Sunday, April 12, Bhosle's family said he died on Sunday after being hospitalized due to severe exhaustion and chest infection. His departure made many figures express their grief. Starting from the political, artistic, to athletes in India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened. He said Bhosle's decades-long musical journey had enriched India's cultural heritage and touched many people around the world. Home Minister Amit Shah also said Bhosle left a huge footprint, not only through Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, and Gujarati songs, but also folk songs.

Actress Hema Malini said she still finds it hard to believe the departure of the singer who she considered full of spirit and gave strong characters to many songs. Composer AR Rahman said Bhosle would live forever through his voice and aura. Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar called Bhosle's death day a very sad day for India and music lovers around the world.

Throughout his career, Bhosle was known as a playback singer, that is, the voice of a song that was then played by the actor in the film. However, his name is prominent not only because of the number of songs he recorded, but also because of his courage to explore many colors of music, from cabaret, pop, to folk. His most well-known songs include Piya Tu Ab Toh Aa Ja and In Ankhon Ki Masti.

Bhosle was born on September 8, 1933, to a family of musicians. All four of his siblings also pursued a career in music, including his older sister, Lata Mangeshkar, who is revered as the "Indian nightingale". Despite being often compared to his older sister, Bhosle built his own path and is known for his ability to break into many genres.

The early years of his life were not easy. He had a turbulent marriage when he was 16 years old. But from there, Bhosle grew to become one of the most important voices in Indian cinema. He won the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and was nominated for two Grammys.

His name is also known outside India through the collaboration Bow Down Mister with Boy George in 1991 and the tribute song Brimful of Asha from Cornershop in 1997. He also appeared on the Gorillaz album The Mountain, released in late February.

Outside of music, Bhosle has also ventured into the culinary world by opening a chain of Asha's restaurants in Dubai and the United Kingdom.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, Bhosle said his life was hard, but it gave him a lot of results. He said he was proud of the path he had taken and felt that music gave him peace, fame, and a livelihood. If he had to repeat his life, Bhosle said, he would live it again.