Veteran playback singer, ghazal maestro, and musician Bhupinder Singh, who sang scores of Bollywood numbers in his heavy bass voice, passed away in Mumbai on July 18 evening, his wife and singer Mitali Singh said.
“He was suffering from several health complications, including urinary issues for some time,” Mitali said. The last rites of the 82-year-old singer will be performed around 11 pm at the Oshiwara Crematorium even as Bollywood greeted the news with shock.
Born in Amritsar and starting his career with All India Radio in the 1950s, Singh is remembered for his memorable songs in films like ‘Mausam’, ‘Satte Pe Satta’, ‘Ahista Ahista’, ‘Dooriyan’, ‘Haqeeqat’, and many more.
Some of his famed songs are ‘Hoke Majboor Mujhe, Usne Bulaya Hoga’, (with Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mehmood, Manna Dey), ‘Dil Dhoondhta Hai, Phir Wohi’, ‘Duki Pe Duki Ho Ya Satte Pe Satta’, (multiple singers), and many more.
It was the renowned Bollywood music director Madan Mohan, who first recognized his singing talent and gave him much-needed break as a playback singer with the ‘Haqeeqat’ film number.
After his marriage to Mitali Choudhary, a Bangladeshi singer almost 45 years ago, the singer-couple joined hands and combined voices to release a series of music albums of ghazals and soft classical songs.
Singh is survived by his wife Mitali and son Nihal Singh who is also a musician.
