Veteran Bengali singer Sandhya Mukherjee, also known as Sandhya Mukhopadhay, died after suffering a cardiac arrest on Tuesday.
The 90-year-old breathed her last at the Apollo Hospital in eastern Kolkata, according to media reports.
She suffered a massive cardiac arrest earlier in the day and despite extensive efforts to revive her, she passed away, hospital sources told the news agency PTI.
She was hospitalized due to complications brought on by the Covid-19 infection in the last week of January.
The award-winning singer made news recently after she turned down the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.
She refused to accept the award, saying that “it is more deserving of a junior artiste” and not someone of her stature, the NDTV reported.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while mourning the eminent singer's death said that she had recovered from Covid-19 and was stable, reports The Indian Express.
“Yesterday, her condition deteriorated but we hadn’t thought that she would pass away. She led a disciplined life. Today we have lost a legend,” she said.
Her body will be kept at Rabindra Sadan on Wednesday for her admirers to pay their last respects, Mamata said.
The West Bengal chief minister further added: “I will cut short my trip to north Bengal and reach Kolkata tomorrow evening to pay my respect. She will be cremated will full state honours.”
President, PM express condolences
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have expressed shock and sorrow over the veteran singer’s death.
In his condolence message, the president said that the death of Sandhya Mukhopadhyay was an irreparable loss for the music world of the subcontinent, reports UNB.
The people of this country will forever remember his contribution to the Liberation War of Bangladesh with respect, he said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina prayed for the eternal salvation of her departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family. The premier also recalled her contribution during the 1971 Liberation War.
Sandhya Mukherjee was an Indian playback singer and musician with a career spanning around eight decades.
Specialising in Bengali music, she was the recipient of the Banga Bibhushan, the highest civilian honour of West Bengal in 2011.
She also won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her songs in such films as Jay Jayanti and Nishi Padma in the year 1970 and also lent her voice as a playback singer in 17 Hindi films.
