Legendary singer of the Indian subcontinent Manna Dey died at a hospital in Bangalore, India early on Thursday.
He was 94.
Manna Dey was admitted to the ICU at Narayana Hrudalaya Hospital in Bangaloreafter respiratory infection had caused other complications. He died there at 3:50am, according to Indian media.
He is survived by his daughters Suroma and Sumita.
He was born Probodh Chandra Dey but became an icon playback and solo music arena by his nickname Manna. In a career spanning over 70 years, Manna Dey sang more than 3,500 songs in more than 16 languages, including Bangla, Hindi and Assamese.
Manna Dey accompanied his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey on a visit to Mumbaiin 1942. There he took music lessons from his uncle and then from Sachin Dev Burman.
Manna Dey started his playback career with the film Tamanna in 1943through a duet with famous singer Suraiya under directionof his uncle. The song was an instant hit. In 1950, he got theopportunity for a solo performance in film Mashal under the direction of SD Burman.
Soon Manna Dey became a famous singer not only in Bollywood but also in West Bengal through numerous evergreen tracks, such as Coffee Houser shei adda, Khub jante icche kore, Shobai to shukhi hote chay, Pousher kachhakachhi, She amar chhoto bon, Ami Sri Bhajahari Manna, Chand dekhte giye and many more.
With a voice that could encapsulate almost all shades of life – from patriotic to devotional songs – MannaDey was an accomplished performer, a diligent artiste who toiled endlessly yet never compromised on his music.
In 1970, Manna Dey won the National Award as playback singer for Bangla film “Nishi Padmo.”The next year he was honoured with the Padmashree Award. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2007.
Manna Dey married Sulochana Kumaran from Kerala in1953. Sulochona died of cancer last year.
For many years, Manna Dey confined himself to his residence in Bangalore, venturing out but rarely. Old age did not allow him to grace Kolkata on the opening day of IPL’s sixth edition, which was a disappointment for himself too as he was a keen student of the game.
Many in the arena of Bangla and Hindi music feel that his departure leaves a vacuum nobody will dare attempt to fill. But as he himself sang Chalat musafir, it is time for the second innings of the journey called life.
The singer’s body was kept in state at Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bangalore for his admirers, well-wishers and fans to pay their last respects.
Thousands of his fans thronged to pay their homage to the legendary man before his cremation took place at Hebbal later in the day.