Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Vice President M. Hamid Ansari have condoled the passing away of legendary singer Manna Dey.
In his condolence message, Dr. Singh said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the demise of the King of Melody, Manna Dey. An accomplished singer with a unique voice, he was multi-talented and excelled in Rabindra Sangeet and various other forms of popular music."
"He entertained millions of fans across the country, and in his passing away, the music world has lost one of its most talented artistes. Dey's legacy will, however, live on through the many songs he sang. I share his family's grief," he added.
In his message, Ansari said: "We have lost an outstanding singer whose versatility and creative performances will be remembered for a very long time to come. With his departure, an era has ended and the music world finds itself poorer today. I am profoundly saddened at the passing away of Shri Manna Dey, one of the finest playback singers of our times, whose captivating voice and melodious songs entertained people across generations."
"I extend my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and all the fans of the great artist. I pray to the Almighty to give them strength and fortitude to bear this loss," he added.
Dey died at the age of 94 at a Bangalore hospital following a recurring lung infection and renal failure early this morning.
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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).