Lata Mangeshkar Age Death Cause Husband Children Family Biography & More

Lata Mangeshkar Height Weight Bra Size Age Biography Family Wiki Net Worth, Affairs, Marriage & much more. Lata Mangeshkar (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her contribution to the Indian music industry in a career spanning seven decades gained her honorific titles such as the “Queen of Melody”, “Nightingale of India”, and “Voice of the Millennium”.

Lata recorded songs in over thirty-six Indian languages and a few foreign languages, though primarily in Marathi, Hindi, and Bengali. Her foreign languages included English, Russian, Dutch, Nepali and Swahili. She received several accolades and honors throughout her career. In 1989, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was bestowed on her by the Government of India. In 2001, in recognition of her contributions to the nation, she was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour; she is only the second female singer, after M. S. Subbulakshmi, to receive this honour. France conferred on her its highest civilian award, Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, in 2007.

She was the recipient of three National Film Awards, 15 Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards, four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards, two Filmfare Special Awards, the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and many more. In 1974, she was one of the first Indian playback singers to perform at Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. Her last recorded song was “Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti ki” released on 30 March 2019 as a tribute to the Indian Army and the Nation.

At one point, she appeared in the Guinness World Records which listed her as the most recorded artist in history between 1948 and 1987.

Early life

Lata Mangeshkar was born on 28 September 1929: 67  in a in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family in Indore (in the present-day Indore district of Madhya Pradesh and then the capital of the princely state of Indore which was part of the Central India Agency in British India). Her father Deenanath Mangeshkar was a Marathi classical singer and theatre actor. Her mother, Shevanti (later renamed Shudhamati), was a Gujarati woman woman from Thalner, Bombay Presidency (now in northwest Maharashtra). Deenanath’s mother belonged to the Devadasis, a matrilineal community of temple artists. Deenanath had taken the surname Mangeshkar, based on the name of his ancestral village Mangeshi. Shevanti was Deenanath’s second wife – his first wife Narmada, who had died before his marriage to Shevanti, was Shevanti’s older sister.

Her maternal grandfather, Seth Haridas Ramdas Lad, was from Gujarat, a prosperous businessman and landlord of Thalner. She learned Gujarati folk songs such as garbas of Pavagadh from her maternal grandmother.

Lata was named “Hema” at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father’s plays, भाव बंधन.

She was the eldest child in the family. Meena, Asha, Usha, and Hridaynath, in birth order, are her siblings; all are accomplished singers and musicians.

She received her first music lesson from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father’s musical plays (Sangeet Natak in Marathi). On her first day of school, Mangeshkar left because she was not allowed to bring her sister Asha along with her.

Illness and death

On 8 January 2022, Mangeshkar tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms and was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital’s intensive care unit in Mumbai. She remained in the ICU with signs of “marginal improvement” in her health. The doctors treating her had taken her off the ventilator on 28 January after her health “improved marginally”; however, she was back on the ventilator on 5 February, after her health deteriorated, and was undergoing “aggressive therapy”.
Mangeshkar died from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome on 6 February 2022, at the age of 92. She had undergone 28 days of constant treatment for pneumonia and COVID-19.

The Government of India announced a two-day period of national mourning and that the national flag will fly at half-mast from 6 to 7 February throughout India out of respect for her. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers, many members of the Indian Music Industry, Indian film industry, celebrities, fans, and netizens expressed their condolences. Indian Cricket Team players wore black arm band to mourn the loss of Mangeshkar in India vs. West Indies first ODI. Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, former President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and Pakistani Minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed their grief on her passing. Mangeshkar’s last rites (performed by her brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar) and cremation were held, with full state honours, at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on the same day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray paid their last respects and placed floral tributes. Mangeshkar’s sisters Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar, Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Shraddha Kapoor, Sachin Tendulkar, Anuradha Paudwal and several dignitaries and family members were also in attendance. Overseas in February 2022, an electronic billboard in Times Square, Manhattan sponsored by the Binder Indian Cultural Center featured a tribute to Mangeshkar. Another tribute to Mangeshkar by popular singers (Arnab Chakrabarty, Niharika Nath and Mandira Karmakar) was published in an Arizona US newspaper.

On 10 February 2022, Mangeshkar’s ashes were immersed in the Godavari River at Ramkund, Nashik by her sister Bhosle and nephew Adinath Mangeshkar.

Lata Mangeshkar Age Death Cause Husband Children Family Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Birth nameHema Mangeshkar
NicknameLata Didi
Names earned• Nightingale of India
• Voice of the Millennium
• Queen of Melody
Profession(s)• Playback Singer
• Music Composer (occasional)
• Film Producer (occasional)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters– 155 cm
in meters– 1.55 m
in feet & inches– 5’ 1”
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourSalt & Pepper
Music
CategoryPlayback Singing
Music Teacher(s)• Deenanath Mangeshkar (her father)
• Ustad Amanat Ali Khan
• Amanat Khan Devaswale
• Ghulam Haidar
• Pandit Tulsidas Sharma
• Anil Biswas

Note: Reportedly, it was Anil Biswas who taught her breath control and how not to break up words or phrases in songs.
DebutPlayback Singing

• Hindi: “Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu” for the Marathi film Gajaabhaau (1943)
• Bengali: ‘Akash Prodeep Jole’ (1956) – composed by Satinath Mukhopadhyay
• Gujarati: 6 songs from the Gujarati film Mehndi Rang Lagyo (1960)
• Kannada: 2 songs from the Kannada film Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna (1967)
• Malayalam: ‘Kadhali Chenkadhali’ from the Malayalam film Nellu (1974); this is the only song that she recorded in Malayalam.
• Meitei: ‘Nungshiba Magi Ethak Ereida’ from the Meitei film Meichak (1999)
• Odia: ‘Sei chuna chuna tara phula aaji’ from the film Surjyamukhi (1963)
• Punjabi: ‘Pyar De Bhuleke’ from the Hindi film Guddi (1971)
• Sinhala: 2 songs from the Sinhala film Seda Sulang (1955)
• Tamil: 4 songs from the Tamil film Aan (Murattu Adiyaal) (1953)
• Telugu: ‘Niddurapora Thammuda’ from the Telugu film Santhanam (1955)
• Bhojpuri: ‘Hey Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo’ from the Bhojpuri film ‘Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo’ (1963)

Acting
• Marathi Film: Pahili Mangalgour (1943); she played the heroine’s sister

Music Director
• Marathi Film: Ram Ram Pavhana (1960)

Producer
• Marathi Film: Vaadal (1953)
• Hindi Film: Jhaanjhar (1953)
First Recorded Song“Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari” composed by Sadashivrao Nevrekar for Vasant Joglekar’s Marathi movie Kiti Hasaal (1942)

Note: She recorded this song at the age of 13; however, the song was dropped from the final cut.
Last Recorded Song (non-film)• A rendition of the Gayatri Mantra that she recorded for Mukesh Ambani’s daughter Isha Ambani’s wedding in 2018; she recorded this song at the age of 89.

• ‘Saugandh Mujhe Is Mitti Ki;’ this song was released in 2019, which was a tribute to the Indian Army.
Last Recorded Song (film)“Jeena kya hai, jaana maine” for Dunno Y2… Life Is a Moment (2015)
Last Released Song‘Theek Nahi Lagta,’ penned by Gulzar; she recorded this song for Vishal Bhardwaj in the 90’s; however, the song was released on YouTube in 2021.
Last full-fledged albumVeer-Zaara (2004)
Awards, Honours, AchievementsNational Film Awards

1972: Best Female Playback Singer for songs from the film Parichay
1974: Best Female Playback Singer for songs from the film Kora Kagaz
1990: Best Female Playback Singer for songs from the film Lekin…

Filmfare Awards
1959: Best Female Playback Singer for the song “Aaja Re Pardesi” from Madhumati
1963: Best Female Playback Singer for the song “Kahi Deep Jale Kahi Dil” from Bees Saal Baad
1966: Best Female Playback Singer for the song “Tumhi Mere Mandir Tumhi Meri Pooja” from Khandan
1970: Best Female Playback Singer for the song “Aap Mujhe Achhe Lagne Lage” from Jeene Ki Raah
1994: Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
1995: Filmfare Special Award for “Didi Tera Devar Deewana” from Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!

Maharashtra State Film Awards
1960: Best Music Director Award for the film Sadhi Manase
1966: Best Playback Singer for Sadhi Mansa
1977: Best Playback Singer for Jait Re Jait
1997: Maharashtra Bhushan Award
2001: Maharashtra Ratna (First Recipient)

Government of India Awards
1969: Padma Bhushan
1989: Dada Saheb Phalke Award
1999: Padma Vibhushan
2001: Bharat Ratna
2008: “One Time Award for Lifetime Achievement” honour to commemorate the 60th anniversary of India’s independence

Other Awards/Honours
2009: ‘Officier de la Legion d’honneur’ by the French government
Note: Along with these, she has many other awards, honours, achievements to her name.
Personal Life
Date of Birth28 September 1929 (Saturday)
BirthplaceIndore, Indore State, Central India Agency, British India
Date of Death6 February 2022
Place of DeathBreach Candy Hospital, Mumbai
Cremation SiteShivaji Park, Mumbai
Age (at the time of death)92 Years
Death CauseCOVID-19 complications and multiple organ failure
Zodiac signLibra
Signature
NationalityIndian
HometownMumbai, India
SchoolShe attended a school in Mumbai, only for a single day.
College/UniversityDid not attend
Educational QualificationLata Mangeshkar never received formal education. She was taught Marathi alphabet by a maid, she learnt Sanskrit by a local preist, while other tutors and relatives taught her other subjects at home.
ReligionHinduism

Note: She was the follower of deity Mangesh, and the Mangeshi temple is the family deity or Kul daivat of Lata Mangeshkar and her family.
CasteGoud Saraswat Brahmin
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian

Note: Lata Mangeshkar was fond of non-vegetarian food.
Political InclinationAccording to the legendary singer, she was not affiliated with any political party. In an interview, she said, “In fact, I pleaded with those who urged me into Rajya Sabha to let me off. Though I had the highest regard for (Bharatiya Janata Party leader) L K Advaniji and (former Prime Minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji, I still do — I am not affiliated to any political party.”
HobbiesCooking, Photography, Watching Cricket Matches, Playing the Slot Machines in Las Vegas
Controversies• Royalty issue with Rafi: In the ’60s, Lata and Rafi had an argument over royalties. According to Lata, recording companies should pay royalties to singers; Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Kishore Kumar, and Manna Dey also backed her in this; however, Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle believed that singers should get one-time payment from record producers, and Rafi believed that they should not fight over royalties. According to Lata, the issue created a rift between them, and they did not sing together from 1963 to 1967. Later, Rafi sent her a letter in which he wrote that he had spoken in haste. It was S. D. Burman who brought them together, and they met on the stage of the S D Burman Night that was held at Shanmukhananda Hall in 1967, and nearly after five years, they sang togehter the Jewel Thief duet ‘Dil Pukaare.’

• Criticized by a close friend: Once, one of Lata’s close friends named Ramchandra called her “a despotic, ruthless and vain woman; a jealous woman who cannot tolerate a single other singer; a business woman rather than an artiste.”

• Accusations for spoiling the career of her rivals: According to some critics, when it came to evicting her competitors, Lata pulled no punches to ensure they never survive, and they considered her to be responsible for evicting the singers like Vani Jairam, Runa Laila, Sulakshana Pandit, Priti Sagar, and Hemlata from the industry. Although none of them came forward to accuse her in public, off-record, some of them exposed her modus-operandi. Once, one of them said, “She is deceitful and has the low cunning of a bania. Often she gives boost to a singer by recommending her to music directors, and makes it known immediately so that nobody can accuse her of being intolerant later on. Thereafter, she begins to pull the strings. At first, the ‘offending’ music directors find their dates with Lata cancelled. Then her ‘close sources’ pass on the message that peace with her could be bought only at a price, that they’d have to ‘eject’ the new singer.”

• Guinness Book of Records Dispute: In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records listed her as the most recorded artist in human history, stating that she lent her voice to not less than 25,000 songs in more than 20 languages between 1948 and 1974. This claim was contested by Mohammed Rafi who claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs. After Rafi’s demise, the Guinness Book, in its 1984 edition, cited Lata Mangeshkar as the holder of the record for ‘Most Recordings’ and noted Rafi’s claim as well. According to later editions of the Guinness Book, Lata Mangeshkar sang no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

• Her absence in parliament: In 2003, Shabana Azmi objected over Lata Mangeshkar’s absence in parliament to which she clarified and said that she had met an accident and also had viral fever about which she had already informed the speaker of the Rajya Sabha. Lata asked, “Abhi Shabana Azmi Ko Kya Takleef Hai?” 
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)Unmarried
Affairs/BoyfriendsBhupen Hazarika (lyricist) 
Family
Husband/SpouseN/A
ChildrenNone
ParentsFather– Deenanath Mangeshkar (Marathi theatre actor, musician, and vocalist)
Mother– Shevanti Mangeshkar (sister of Deenanath Mangeshkar’s first wife Narmada)

SiblingsBrother– 1
• Hridaynath Mangeshkar (younger; music director)
Sisters– 3
• Usha Mangeshkar (younger, playback singer)
• Asha Bhosle (younger, playback singer)
• Meena Khadikar (younger; playback singer and composer)
Favourites
Musician(s)Ghulam Haidar, Madan Mohan, Laxmikant Pyarelal, A. R. Rahman
SingerK. L. Saigal
Film(s)The King and I (1956), Kismet (1943), James Bond Films

Note: According to Lata, she saw The King and I at least 15 times.
Holiday Destination(s)Los Angeles, Las Vegas
FoodZeera Chicken, Methi Chicken, Dal Makhani, Aloo Sabudana Tikki Chaat, Nariayal Makhane ki Kheer, Keema Samosa
DessertJalebi with extra saffron
BeverageCoca-Cola
SportCricket
CricketerSachin Tendulkar
Politician(s)Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narendra Modi
Style Quotient
Car CollectionShe had a great collection of cars at her garage at Prabhu Kunj including Buick, a Chrysler, and a Mercedes.

Note: She owned her first car at the age of eighteen, a Hillman.
Money Factor
Salary/Income (approx.) (at the time of death)Her monthly income was around Rs. 40 lakh per month that she used to receive from the royalty from her songs.
Net Worth (approx.) (at the time of death)Some sources claim her net worth to be around Rs. 360 crores, while others claim it to be around Rs. 108-115 crores.

Bengali career

Mangeshkar has sung 185 songs in Bengali, making her debut in 1956 with the hit song “Aakash Prodeep Jwole”, composed by Satinath Mukhopadhyay. The same year, she recorded “Rongila Banshite”, composed by Bhupen Hazarika, which was also a hit. In the late 1950s, she recorded a string of hits such as “Jaare Ude Jare Pakhi”, “Na Jeona”, and “Ogo Aar Kichu To Noy”, all composed by Salil Chowdhury, and which were respectively adapted into Hindi as “Ja Re Ud Ja Re Panchi” and “Tasveer Tere Dil Mein” in Maya, and “O Sajna” in Parakh. In 1960, she recorded “Akash Pradip Jole”. Later in the 1960s, she sang hits like “Ekbar Biday De Ma Ghure Ashi,” “Saat Bhai Champa,” “Ke Pratham Kache Esechi,” “Nijhum Sandhyay,” “Chanchal Mon Anmona,” “Asharh Srabon,” “Bolchi Tomar Kaney,” and “Aaj Mon Cheyeche” by composers like Sudhin Dasgupta, Hemant Kumar and Salil Chowdhury.

Controversy

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in history, stating that she had reportedly recorded “more than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 Indian languages” between 1948 and 1974. Her record was contested by Mohammad Rafi, who was claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs. After Rafi’s death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records stated her name for the “Most Recordings”, but also stated Rafi’s claim. The later editions of Guinness Book stated that she had sung no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

The entry was discontinued by Guinness editions in 1991 without explanation, while several sources continued to claim that she recorded thousands of songs, with estimates ranging up to figures as large as 50,000. However, even the earliest Guinness claim of 25,000 songs (between 1948 and 1974) was disputed and claimed to have been exaggerated by several others, stating that the number of songs sung by her in Hindi films till 1991 was found to be 5025. Mangeshkar stated that she did not keep a record of the number of songs she recorded, and that she did not know from where Guinness Book editors got their information. In 2011, the entry was revived by Guinness crediting the record to her sister Asha Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history, “for recording up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs and in over 20 Indian languages since 1947”. Since 2016, current record in this category belongs to P. Susheela, for recording at least 17,695 songs in 6 languages, not counting some lost early recordings.

Collaboration with other singers

From the 1940s to the 1970s, Mangeshkar sang duets with Asha Bhosle, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Usha Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Manna Dey, Geeta Dutt, Hemant Kumar, G. M. Durrani, Mahendra Kapoor. In 1964, she sang “Chanda Se Hoga” with P. B. Sreenivas from Main Bhi Ladki Hoon.

Mukesh died in 1976. The 1980s saw the deaths of Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar. After their demise, she continued to sing with Shailendra Singh, Shabbir Kumar, Nitin Mukesh (Mukesh’s son), Manhar Udhas, Amit Kumar (Kishore Kumar’s son), Mohammed Aziz, Suresh Wadkar, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vinod Rathod.

In the 1990s she began singing duets with Roop Kumar Rathod, Hariharan, Pankaj Udhas, Abhijeet, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu. Her most notable work of the 90s was Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge with songs such as “Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye”, “Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko To Pyaar Sajna”, “Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jana Sanam”, and “Mehndi Laga Ke Rakhna”.

In the 2000s her duets were performed mainly with Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam. 2005-06 were the years of her last well-known songs: “Kaise Piya Se” from Bewafa (2005) and “Shayad Yehi To Pyaar Hai” from Lucky: No Time for Love (2005), with Adnan Sami and “Lukka Chhupi” in Rang De Basanti (2006 film) with A. R. Rahman. She sang “Ek Tu Hi Bharosa” from Pukar (2000). Other notable songs of this decade were from Veer-Zaara (2004), sung with Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Jagjit Singh, Roop Kumar Rathod, and Gurdas Mann. One of her latest songs was “Jeena Hai Kya” from Dunno Y2 (2015).

Singing career

Main article: List of songs by Lata Mangeshkar

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