Mourners sing Asha Bhosle hit as iconic Indian singer cremated

The funeral of legendary Indian singer Asha Bhosle has taken place in Mumbai, a day after she died at the age of 92.

The two-time Grammy nominee was cremated at the city’s Shivaji Park on Monday with full state honours.

The ceremony was attended by celebrities and politicians, with scenes at the venue showing large crowds gathered outside to bid her farewell.

Bhosle’s career spanned nearly eight decades and included thousands of recordings across genres and languages. She died in Mumbai on Sunday after being admitted to hospital following a heart attack.

Her death has prompted an outpouring of grief from across India and beyond, with fans remembering her as one of the defining voices of Indian cinema.

Since Sunday, thousands visited her Mumbai residence to pay their last respects. On Monday, her body lay in a casket draped in the Indian flag and surrounded by floral wreaths.

Her remains were later carried in a truck covered in white flowers from her home to the cremation site.

Videos showed the vehicle moving slowly through the streets, with people lined along the route - some watching from rooftops and balconies - to bid her a final goodbye.

She was honoured with a gun salute at her funeral.

Just before her pyre was lit, many of those gathered there began singing one of her iconic songs - “Abhi na jaao chhor kar” which roughly translates to “don’t leave just yet”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Bhosle was “one of the most iconic and versatile voices India has ever known, while President Draupadi Murmu said her death was “an irreparable loss to music lovers”.

Leading figures from the film industry and sport, including Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar, also paid tribute, reflecting the breadth of her influence across generations.

Khan wrote that Bhosle was “a talent that will outlive many” and that her “voice has been one of the pillars of Indian cinema and will continue to resonate world over for centuries to come”.

Cricketer Tendulkar, who knew her personally, said “Asha Tai [Marathi for elder sister] was family” and that “through her eternal songs, she will remain timeless”.

A passionate cricket fan, Bhosle was also honoured on the field. During an Indian Premier League match on Sunday, Mumbai Indians players wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence.

Composer AR Rahman wrote that “she lives forever through her voice and aura -what an artist”.

Singer Shreya Ghosal recalled growing up “listening to her, learning from her, and being in awe of her effortless versatility”, adding that she made “every note feel alive, every emotion feel personal”.

Singer-actor Farhan Akhtar said it was “impossible to talk about playback singing without mentioning Asha Bhosle”, calling her voice, joy and energy “irreplaceable”.

The tributes reflect the scale of her influence. With a voice that moved easily from romantic ballads to high-energy numbers, she became the go-to singer for composers across genres and generations.

Her strong presence in Bollywood inspired the 1997 Cornershop hit Brimful of Asha.

On Sunday, Tjinder Singh of Cornershop band said that “few have reached the ability to be loved in so many languages and dialects, and even fewer have reached so many with the astonishment of heart that her songs gave us”.

Born in 1933 into a family of musicians, she began singing as a child alongside her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, after their father’s death.

Her personal life was marked by early challenges. She married at 16, in a relationship that later broke down.

Through the years, she was often compared to her elder sister - who was revered as the “nightingale” of Bollywood and died in 2022 - but Bhosle built a distinct identity.

While her elder sister became known for more poignant songs, Bhosle, until later in her career, was associated with bold, jazzy and cabaret-style numbers.

Her rise began in the 1950s during her collaboration with composer OP Nayyar, which marked a turning point in her career.

She later worked closely with RD Burman, whom she later married. The two were together for 14 years until Burman died in 1994, a partnership that helped expand the range and experimentation in her singing.

Even in her later years, she continued to sing and experiment. Bhosle collaborated with the British virtual band Gorillaz on their 2026 album The Mountain, which explored the themes of grief and mortality.

The track, The Shadowy Light, paired her voice with international musicians, in a song that reflected on death and the afterlife.

Away from music, she was known for her love of cooking. Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar said in a television interview on Sunday that she would often prepare kebabs for him, taking particular pleasure when he praised her food.

She was also the creative force behind the restaurant chain “Asha’s”, with outlets in Dubai and the UK.

Source: BBC
-- Agencies