Veteran Bengali singer Geetashree Sandhya Mukhopadhyay passed away at the age of 90 on Tuesday in a private hospital in Kolkata. She passed away in the evening after a massive cardiac arrest. Mukhopadhyay was admitted to the hospital after getting infected by COVID19, she had trouble breathing. She was already suffering from a heart problem and COVID made it worse for her.
Mukhopadhyay had an illustrious career of 70 years in the cinema industry. She rendered thousands of songs for Bengali cinema and her albums of modern and semi-classical music. She also recorded many songs for Hindi cinema. Her duets with the legendary Hemanta Mukherjee, who became popular in the Hindi film. Her first song in 1948 for the Hindi movie was in Anjaan Garh.
Condolences pour out for the veteran singer from all over the country. Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee remembered her as the ‘queen of melody’ on her Twitter account.
Prime Minister Narender Modi also paid his tribute to the late singer in Bengali. He wrote, “We are all saddened by the passing of Geetashree Sandhya Mukherjee. The irreparable loss of our cultural world. The next generation will also be obsessed with his melodious voice. In this moment of grief, I extend my condolences to his family and loved ones. Peace,” on his Twitter account.
Mukhopadhyay was awarded Banga Bibhusan, the highest civilian honour given by the Bengal government, in 2011 and the National Film Award for best female playback singer in 1970 for the movies Jay Jayanti (a Bengali remake of Sound of Music) and Nishi Padma.
She was also awarded Padma Shree this year, which she refused to accept, stating, “It is not an award that should be conferred on a veteran like her. It would be demeaning for her to accept it, the singer said, according to members of her family.
