Thousands have gathered to pay their respects to one of India’s most beloved singers in Mumbai

Lata Mangeshkar has recorded more songs than The Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined

If Bollywood is the soul of India, then Lata Mangeshkar was its beating heart

Her voice was the soundtrack to hundreds of Bollywood films, for more than half a century she recorded thousands of songs in over 36 languages.

Sadly, she passed away at the age of ninety two on Sunday.

Mangeshkar, who was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 on January 8, died because of “multi-organ failure after more than 28 days of hospitalisation,” Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating the singer, announced on Sunday.

Tributes are pouring in following the news of the iconic singer’s passing

Mangeshkar has been cremated in Mumbai with full state honours.

She was known as India’s “Didi” or sister and millions feel her loss is personal as her songs were played at weddings, funerals and national events for over seven decades.

Prime Minister Modi and stars of the entertainment industry attended the funeral, where large crowds gathered to pay their respects.

She is highly regarded in India and so two days of national mourning will follow the funeral and the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country.

She was regarded as the nightingale of Bollywood for her role as a playback singer, recording the songs that actors would lip-sync on screen.

The Melody queen was awarded the nation’s highest civilian honour in 2001 and She leaves a legacy as old as independent India itself.

Tributes continue to flood in, with PM Modi saying Mangeshkar’s death had left a “void in our nation that cannot be filled”.