Renowned Indian ghazal singer Bhupinder Singh passed away at the age of 82 on Monday due to suspected colon cancer and Covid-19-related complications.
His wife Mitali Singh confirmed the matter to news agency PTI, reports NDTV.
The veteran artist was admitted to the hospital following a urine infection, wherein he was diagnosewith Covid-19, according to his wife.
"He was admitted to the hospital eight to ten days ago as he had some infection in the urine. After tests were performed, he tested positive for Covid-19. He passed away at around 7:45 pm due to suspected colon cancer and had Covid-19," she told PTI.
The Amritsar-born singer is survived by his Indian-Bangladeshi wife and a son, according to the NDTV report.
The veteran artist is known for crooning classics like "Naam Gum Jayega" and "Dil Dhoondta Hai,” "Do Diwane Shehar Mein", "Ek Akela is Shehar Mein", "Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Aasman", "Duniya Chhute Yaar Na Chhute" and "Karoge Yaad Toh", and other popular songs.
During his career that spanned five decades, Bhupinder Singh worked with the biggest names of the Indian music industry, including Mohammed Rafi, RD Burman, Madan Mohan, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Gulzar, Bappi Lahiri, and others.
He started his career as a singer and musician at the All India Radio Delhi. He was called to Mumbai by composer Madan Mohan who spotted him during an All India Radio party.
His Bollywood singing debut was with the 1964 Chetan Anand directorial "Haqeeqat", where he sang the Mohan-composed track "Hoke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bulaya Hoga" along with Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Manna Dey.
"Rut Jawan Jawan Raat Mehrbaan" was his first solo track which he got two years after his debut.
In the 1980s he married singer Mitali and stepped back from active playback singing and went on to produce private albums with his wife.
He was also the guitarist on several popular tracks, including "Dum Maaro Dum", "Chura Liya Hai", "Chingari Koi Bhadke" and "Mehbooba O Mehbooba", among others.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed grief over the death of the noted singer and said his voice was revered by millions of music lovers, NDTV reports.
"With the demise of Bhupinder Singh, we have lost an artist whose voice was revered by audiences. His voice made several ghazals immortal and unforgettable. His songs will continue to resonate in the minds of the audiences," Shinde said in his condolence message.
Bollywood singers and musicians, including Harshdeep Kaur, Ankur Tewari and Swanand Kirkire took to Twitter to mourn the loss of the musical genius.