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Beloved Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar dead at 92

Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Lata Mangeshkar -- the beloved singer known as the "Melody Queen" and "Nightingale of India" -- has died at the age of 92.

Dr. Pratit Samdani told reporters that Mangeshkar died of multiple organ failure at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai.

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The entertainer had been hospitalized since Jan. 11 after contracting COVID-19.

Throughout her eight-decade career, she was heard singing more than 5,000 songs in over 1,000 Bollywood and regional-language films, most notably "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya? (Why Fear if You are in Love?)" in Mughal-e-Azam, a 1960 romantic tragedy.

As a playback singer, she was not seen on screen. Other actors would lip sync to her voice.

Her music also has been used in Hollywood films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Life of Pi, Lion and The Hundred-Foot Journey.

India bestowed upon Mangeshkar the Bharat Ratna, its highest civilian honor, in 2001.

Two days of national mourning will be observed and Mangeshkar is expected to be given a state funeral.

The country's flag will also fly at half-staff through Monday.

"I am anguished beyond words," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Saturday.

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"The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerize people.

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Anita Pointer of the Grammy-winning Pointer Sisters stands with Andy Madadian (C) and La Toya Jackson (L) as Madadian is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020. Pointer, who performed alongside her sisters June and Ruth, died at the age of 74 on December 31 following a battle with cancer. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

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