This year, the music industry lost a lot of gems. After Lata Mangeshkar, the country lost its golden voice in Bhupinder Singh on 18 July. The renowned playback singer passed away at a hospital in Mumbai due to suspected colon cancer and COVID-19 related complications. His wife and singer Mithali Mukherjee confirmed the news. Bhupinder was 82 years old. He and Lata Mangeshkar have sung many songs together. When Lata breathed her last in February, Bhupinder had nothing but praise for her.
When Bhupinder Singh praised Lata Mangeshkar
“I can’t say it’s happy anymore. With Lataji’s death, it’s the end of an era. There will be no one else like her,” said Bhupinder Singh, who co-starred with Lata Mangeshkar among many eminent personalities including Naam Gham Jayega. The playback numbers were recorded. Asked to share the experience of recording the song, Bhupinder said, “I was called by composer RD Burman. It was a routine recording. We went and recorded the song. There was a short story in the making. Har Jaane Ki Kahani doesn’t happen. But it was a song which RD composed and I recorded it. In those days we never felt overwhelmed by each other’s presence. We used to focus on singing and singing. We tried to understand. We worked as a team.”
But this was not the case when Bhupinder first met Lata Mangeshkar. “We used to meet in the studio and greet each other ‘good morning’, ‘goodbye’ etc. The first film song we recorded together was Beti Na Bitai Raina for the introduction in 1972. The other name was Gham We sang many songs together. I saw Lataji as a professional singer. She was honest and sang each song diligently. In those days artistes used to be honest and respectful towards each other,” he said. .
We miss you, Bhupinder Singh!
Veteran playback singer Bhupinder Singh passed away on Monday, July 18. The singer was suffering from ailments for the past six months and breathed his last on July 18 at 7.45 pm. His last rites were performed at 12.30 pm at Oshiwara crematorium. Bhupinder Singh’s death was confirmed by his wife Mithali Mukherjee. Mukherjee revealed that the veteran singer was suffering from several health complications. He was 82 years old. The singer was buried on July 19 at the Oshiwara crematorium in Mumbai. Bhupinder Singh was reportedly admitted to the hospital 8 to 10 days back due to urinary infection. He also tested positive for Covid-19. Mithali Mukherjee said, “He passed away at around 7.45 pm due to suspected colon cancer and had Covid-19.”
In his five-decade-long career, Bhupinder has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, such as Mohammad Rafi, RD Burman, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Bappi Lahiri. He has lent his voice to many songs, including Dil Dhundta Hai, Sai Bina Ghar Suna, Naam Gham Jayega, Mere Rang De Basanti Chola, among others.
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