Lata Mangeshkar, a legendary Indian singer and Bharat Ratna awardee, died at the age of 92 on Sunday, February 6, weeks after being admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai with COVID-19.

Known as the ‘Nightingale of India’, Mangeshkar’s extraordinary career spanning seven decades is well-documented, and saw her record thousands of songs and win dozens of honours for her contribution to Indian music.

However, other aspects of Mangeshkar’s life are not as well-known. Here are some lesser known facts about the legendary vocalist.

Family of performers:

Lata Mangeshkar was born into a family of performers: her father owned a theatre company and Mangeshkar and her sisters grew up around performers, cultivating a love for music and the performing arts.

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She never listened to her own songs:

While Mangeshkar is known for her extraordinary contributions to Indian music as well as to Bollywood, she never listened to her own songs. Mangeshkar had told Bollywood Hungama earlier that she did not listen to her own songs because she would find hundreds of faults if she did.

Lata Mangeshkar’s first song was deleted:

The first song Mangeshkar recorded in her career was ‘Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari’ in 1942, which was to be used in a Marathi film called ‘Kiti Hasaal’. However, the song was removed from the final cut of the film.

She briefly served as a Member of Parliament (MP):

Mangeshkar had a brief tenure as an MP in the Rajya Sabha from 1999 to 2005. However, the singer later claimed that she was unhappy as an MP and was reluctant about being inducted.

A Guinness World Record holder:

Mangeshkar also held a Guinness World Record for a few years: in 1974, she was listed as the most artist with most recordings in the world. Currently, Pulapaka Susheela holds this record.

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A place in history:

While Lata Mangeshkar is a household name in India, her fame also extends well past national boundaries. In 1974, Mangeshkar made history by becoming the first Indian to perform at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London, and three decades later, in 2007, she was awarded the highest civilian honour in France and inducted as an Officer of the Legion of Honour.