When Asha Bhosle was covered in bruises after an accident but still showed up due to her professional commitment

Zeenat Aman recalled meeting Asha Bhosle at a musical evening and she saw that the singer was covered in bruises and nicks.

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle died at the age of 92. The singer, one of the most acclaimed and celebrated in the Indian music industry, breathed her last at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on Sunday. Actor Zeenat Aman shared a moving tribute for the late singer on her Instagram account, recalling an incident when she met her in Kolkata. She said that despite getting hurt in an accident, the singer still showed up to perform, covered in bruises. (Also read: Asha Bhosle laid to rest with full state honours; son Anand Bhosle performs last rites as loved ones, fans gather)

Asha Bhosle passed away on Sunday due to multi-organ failure in Mumbai.

When Zeenat said about Asha Bhosle

Zeenat took to her Instagram account and wrote a long note to talk about her connection to the late singer. She began, “I am grieving the loss of a legendary talent today. Asha ji’s was a voice that captivated generations, and it was my supreme privilege that she sang so many of the film songs picturised on me. ‘Dum Maro Dum’, ‘Chura Liya’, ‘Do Lafzon Ki’, ‘Meri Soni Meri Tamanna’, ‘Khatouba’… the list goes on. One could perhaps say, Asha ji gifted me the soundtrack to my success! How very many hours I have spent with her voice in my ears and how much love I have received for lip-syncing along…”

‘She had been in an accident’

She continued, “My own association with Asha ji was long and warmly cordial. While she was always very affectionate when we met, I truly got an insight to her character about a decade ago. We were both due to appear at a musical evening in Kolkata, and when Ashaji arrived I was horrified to see that she was covered in bruises and nicks. It turned out that she had been in an accident the previous day, but was determined to keep her professional commitment! Lo and behold, she took the stage by storm and kept the giddy audience in her thrall for many hours. Mind you, Asha ji was well into her 80s by this point, and it’s safe to say I left the event both impressed and inspired. So thank you, Asha ji, for the music and the grace. Your voice shall never fade.”

On Monday, when Asha was kept at her residence for loved ones to pay tribute, she was wrapped in an Indian flag as a mark of respect. Videos show the singer receiving state honours as police wrap her casket adorned with white lilies in tricolour. The final respects continued at her residence at Lower Parel till 3 PM, after which the funeral procession proceeded to Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar. The last rites were performed at 4 PM.

Asha died on Sunday morning due to multi-organ failure at the age of 92 at Breach Candy Hospital. She was hospitalised due to a chest infection and extreme exhaustion. She is survived by her son, Anand Bhosle, and her granddaughter, Zanai. Condolences poured in for the family after news broke on Sunday, with many expressing shock over her passing.