Legendary Indian singer Manna Dey has died in a Bangalore hospital early Thursday at the age of 94.
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Bangalore, (NB) - Dey was hospitalized in May and was being treated for a kidney infection when his organs failed, said K. Vasuki, an official of the Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences.
He was on ventilation, his health deteriorated in the early morning and he breathed his last. He left behind his two daughters, Rama and Sumita. His wife Sulochana Kumaran passed away last year due to cancer.
Dey was living with his daughter Rama in Bangalore. His last rites will be performed today in the evening and the music genius will be cremated at Hebbal crematorium.
"Mannada breathed his last around 4 a.m. after his condition suddenly deteriorated in the wee hours though he was on a ventilator in the intensive care unit," Narayana Hospital spokesman K.S.Vasuki told NB here.
His elder daughter Rama rushed to the hospital on hearing the news of the demise of her father. "Dey's eldest daughter (Rama) rushed to the hospital and was at his bedside when the end came after we alerted her about her father's deteriorating condition," Vasuki said.
His younger daughter Sumita lives in the US. Manna Dey was undergoing treatment due to lung infection.
"Dey's body will be kept at Ravindra Kalkshetra in the city centre from 10am to 12noon for the public to pay their last respects and homage," a family friend said.
He recorded nearly 4,000 songs and can be heard in scores of Bollywood films Prominently
Dey’s deep voice and mastery in singing classical music-based songs enthralled millions of music lovers. He started his singing career in 1942. He sang mainly in Hindi and Bengali and his peak period was 1953-1980. He also lent his voice to songs in several Indian regional languages – Bengali, Assamese, Gujrati and Malayalam.
His work as a ‘playback singer’ – who records songs that are lip-synched by actors – can be heard on scores of Bollywood films and their soundtracks, and his stage shows were very popular across India.
Born Prabodh Chandra Dey in 1919, Dey was popularly known as Manna, and chalked up a number of hit Bollywood songs in a career spanning six decades.
Tributes have been pouring in for the legendary singer from the government, the film industry and his fans.
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted his condolences, saying “Strange how we connect events of our life with his songs.”
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the country in paying tributes to Dey.
India "has lost a veteran playback singer, a versatile artist of extraordinary ability and a creative genius who mesmerised listeners with his enchanting voice," the president said.
The prime minister described Dey as the "king of melody" and said with his death, the music world had lost one of its most talented artistes.
"I am deeply saddened to hear of the demise of the King of Melody, Manna Dey. An accomplished singer with a unique voice, he was multi-talented and excelled in Rabindra Sangeet and various other forms of popular music," he said in his condolence message.
"In his death, the music world has lost one of its most talented artistes. Dey's legacy will, however, live on through the many songs he sang," Mr Singh added.
Dey sang in several languages including Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi and Bhojpuri.
His long career saw him win several awards for his contribution to music, including state honours like the Padma Shri in 1971 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2005. He was also given the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2007.
Dey sang more than 3,500 songs, including romantic ballads, intricate raga-based songs, Qawwalis and fast-paced modern numbers in his career.
Along with Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar, he made up what was known as the "famous quartet of singers" who dominated the Hindi film music industry from 1950s to 1970s.
Many of Dey's tracks for Bollywood films became huge hits and he sang for some of the biggest Bollywood names like Raj Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra.
His most popular numbers included Zindagi kaisi hai paheli (Life, what a riddle it is) from the film Anand; Poocho na kaise maine raen bitayee (Don't ask how I spent my night) from Meri Surat Teri Aankhen; Ek chatur naar (A clever woman) from Padosan; and Eey bhai zara dekh ke chalo (Oh brother, look where you're going) from Meraa Naam Joker.
He also sang for Bollywood super-hits Sholay and Amar Akbar Anthony.
On May 1st, CM of Kolkata Mamata Banerjee conferred the singer with Bengal's Vishesh Maha Sangeet Samman award.
The Indian government honoured Dey with the top civilian Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2007.
May his soul rest in peace!
