Minister of State for Home Affairs R P N Singh on Thursday condoled the passing of legendary singer Manna Dey.
"He was a great artist, a big loss for the nation, I pay my tributes to him," Singh told media here.
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 3500 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).