India's entertainment fraternity on Thursday mourned the passing away of noted playback singer Manna Dey in Bangalore.
Expressing his deepest condolences, singer Ravindra Jain said: "Manna Dey is no more with us, but, he will always be alive within us."
"It was my dream to work with Manna Dey and, I lived my dream. I met him quite a lot of times. He is no more with us, but, he will always be alive within us," Jain added.
Qawwali stars Mohammad Amin Sabri and Sayeed Sabri also expressed their sadness over Dey's demise.
Mohammad Amin Sabri said: "I am very sad to hear this news. I had met him in some shows and concerts, but never had an opportunity to work with him."
Describing Dey as person of stature in the Indian music industry, Mohammad Sayeed Sabri said: "He was a great person and a great singer. He used to meet everyone equally."
Also Read
Well known Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj said: "It is sad news. He loved me very much. He used to sing from his heart. Nowadays, people scream."
"He used to love music. He was an interesting personality. It is a great loss for everyone," he added.
Bollywood filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said: "I think the kind of contribution Manna Dey has made is unbelievable, to Indian cinema and Indian music lovers, because he has done an absolutely great job."
"His kind of singing was versatile. Be it Qawwali, Bhajans, a romantic song or a funny song, he was absolutely bang on. It is a great loss and I was really shocked to hear that he is no more," Bhandarkar added.
Dey died at the age of 94 at a Bangalore hospital following a recurring lung infection and renal failure early this morning.
Born Prabodh Chandra Dey on May 1, 1919, the versatile singer began his playback career in 1942-43 with the film Tamanna and sang over 35000 songs in Hindi, Bengali, Assamese and other regional languages.
The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2007.
Dey's greatest hits include 'Ae meri zohrajabeen' from the film Waqt (1965), 'Puchho na kaise bitayi raina' (Meri Surat Teri Ankhen, 1963), 'Pyar hua ikrar hua' (Shree 420, 1955) and 'Ek chatur naar' (Padosan, 1968).