NEW DELHI: Former captain of the Indian team Virat Kohli on Sunday led the cricket fraternity in paying rich tributes to the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away after an illness.
Kohli said Mangeshkar's melodious voice touched millions of people around the world.
The 'Bharat Ratna' passed away on Sunday at the age of 92 years. The megastar was admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on January 8 after she was diagnosed with Covid-19 and pneumonia.
She had recovered from the Covid-19 infection but had to be put on ventilator support after her conditions worsened on Saturday.
"Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Lata ji. Her melodious songs touched millions of people around the world. Thank you for all the music and the memories. My deepest condolences to the family & the loved ones," tweeted Kohli.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag also extended 'heartfelt condolences' to Lata Mangeshkar's family.
India batter Shikhar Dhawan also took to Twitter and wrote, "Your music touched our soul and made us smile. Rest in Peace Lata Mangeshkar Ji. Your legacy will inspire generations to come."
Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating the legendary singer at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital, said, "It is with profound grief that we announce the sad demise of Lata Mangeshkar at 8:12 am. She has died because of multi-organ failure after more than 28 days of hospitalisation post Covid-19."
Mangeshkar was a legend of playback singing and occasional music composer.
Born on September 28, 1929, she took to singing in 1942 at an age of 13. In a career spanning over seven decades, the melody queen recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films. She had sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages.
She was awarded the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001 in recognition of her contributions. She is only the second vocalist, after MS Subbulakshmi, to receive the Bharat Ratna.
She's also the recipient of three National Film Awards among many other honours received during her singing career.
Mangeshkar is survived by four younger siblings - Asha Bhosle, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar.
