Asha Bhosle Dies at 92: Melody Queen Who Rewrote Royalties, Reinvented Playbook, and Ruled Restaurant Revenue

Asha Bhosle Passes Away at 92: Beyond Bollywood classics like 'Yeh Vaada Raha', 'Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja', 'Dum Maro Dum', 'In Aankhon Ki Masti', 'Yeh Mera Dil' and 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne' was a voice that rose above personal hardships and went on to redefine the rules of playback singing. Melody queen Asha Bhosle passed away at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on Sunday, April 12, leaving behind an unmatched musical legacy.

The 92-year-old singer was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday evening following extreme exhaustion and a chest infection. The singer passed away on Sunday morning due to multi organ failure, reported ANI citing Dr Pratit Samdani of Breach Candy Hospital.

The singer not only left behind a legacy that defined the soundscape of Indian cinema for over eight decades, but also rewrote the rulebook on IP rights. As the world mourns the death of Asha Bhosle, let's revisit her legal battle for unpaid royalties, her restaurant venture, and her ever-evolving musical journey.

RIP Asha Bhosle: Legal Battle For Royalties

In the early 2000s, Asha Bhosle moved the Bombay High Court against Magnasount over unpaid royalties. As per media reports, she brought the matter to HC for dues worth Rs 1.12 crore. The legal battle led to a 2010-winding up order and a subsequent 2012 litigation that ceased the sale of MIL's assets to Sony Music Entertainment.

Recently in 2025, the Bombay HC stepped in to protect the legacy of the music icon from unauthorised use by artificial intelluence platforms. The court granted ad-interim relief to Asha Bhosle, and effectively restained AI companies, online marketplaces and digital sellers from cloning her voice or using her image without her permission.

Asha Bhosle's Diverse Career From Bollywood Classics To Indie Pop Music

Asha Bhosle's more than five-decade-long career consists of a diverse palette which includes Bollywood classics like 'In Ankhon Ki Mast', 'Piya Bawri', to retro specials like 'Yeh Wada Raha' and indie pop music like 'Ho Ja Rangeela Re' featuring Urmila Matondkar and more.

Asha Bhosle was honoured with various awards like Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Vibhushan, which is the country's second-highest civilian award.

In October 2011, Asha Bhosle was named as the onl artist in the world for "most studio recordings. Singles," by Guinness World Records. As per the record she had recorded more than 11,000 sons across more than 20 Indian languages since India's Independence.

Asha Bhosle Passes Away: New Business Venture In Food Space

Apart from Asha Bhosle's IP rights battle and her diverse career trajectory, her international restaurant chain is also a major highlight. Asha Bhosle launched her own restaurant chain titled 'Asha's'. The first restaurant was opened in Dubai, at WAFI in 2002. It is known for its gourmet dishes and recipes from the Indian cuisine, with main focus in North West dishes.

Nearly two-and-a-half decades later, there are nearly 14 outlets of the restaurant operated across Middle East and the UK.

Asha Bhosle was born on September 8, 1933. She is the younger sister of the legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. Asha Bhosle belongs to the prominent Mangeshkar family and has three other siblings, ie Usha Mangeshkar, Meena Khadikar, and brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar. They are the children of classical singer Deenanath Mangeshkar.