Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar has tested positive for COVID-19 with mild symptoms and is undergoing treatment at a Mumbai hospital, her niece said on Tuesday.
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The 92-year-old veteran, also known as the Nightingale of India, was admitted to the ICU of Breach Candy hospital in south Mumbai two days ago.
“She is mild COVID positive. Considering her age, doctors advised us that she should be in the ICU because she requires constant care. And we cannot take a chance. As a family we want the best and want to ensure she has 24X7 care,” Mageshkar’s niece Rachna Shah said.
“She will be fine. But she is going to take a while because of her age. And also, COVID-19 takes seven days …,” she added.
In November 2019, Mangeshkar was admitted to the same hospital after she complained of difficulty in breathing and was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was discharged after 28 days.
Mangeshkar started her career at the age of 13 in 1942 and has sung over 30,000 songs in several Indian languages in an over seven-decade career. Some of her most loved tracks are “Ajeeb dastan hai ye”, “Pyar kiya to darna kya”, “Neela asman so gaya” and “Tere liye”.
Considered one of Indian cinema’s greatest singers, Mangeshkar received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 2001. She is also the recipient of several other awards, including the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and multiple National Film Awards. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai on Monday reported 13,648 new COVID-19 cases, taking the city's tally of infections to 9,28,220.