Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to iconic singer Vani Jairam, who passed away on Saturday, and said she would be remembered for her melodious voice and rich works.
Her works covered diverse languages and reflected different emotions, he said in a tweet, adding that her death is a major loss for the creative world.
Condolences to her family and admirers, the prime minister said.
Jairam, who has crooned over 10,000 songs in 19 languages, including the very popular Hindi number 'Bole re papihara', and was named for the Padma Bhushan Award recently, died in Chennai on Saturday.
She was 77 and was living alone at a downtown apartment, where she was found dead, police said, adding there was an injury on her forehead and further investigation is on.