'Asha Bhosle never left riyaaz till the very end,' Sudesh Bhosle recalls emotional moment: 'Everyone has left me... I am the last one'
ETimes | May 1, 2026 4:39 AM CST
Veteran singer Sudesh Bhosle has opened up about his close bond with legendary icon Asha Bhosle , recalling her discipline, passion and warmth. Asha Bhosle passed away on April 12, 2026, in Mumbai at the age of 92. She breathed her last at Breach Candy Hospital following a brief illness caused by a chest infection and exhaustion.
In a recent chat with Meri Saheli, Bhosle reflected on their decades-long association, revealing how Asha Bhosle remained committed to music till the very end—both emotionally and physically.
‘We never stayed without speaking’Talking about their close relationship, Bhosle said, “Our bond has always been very close. We never stayed without speaking—either she would call me or I would call her.”
He also recalled a recent interaction that left a lasting impact on him. “Even when she wasn’t well, she told me, ‘Sudesh, write down September 8—we have to do a show on my birthday.’ I didn’t know something would change within a week... but that was her spirit.”
‘Riyaaz till the last day’Highlighting her discipline, he shared how music remained central to her life.
“Whenever I called her, there would be a tanpura playing in the background. She never left riyaaz till the very end,” he said.
Recalling her advice, Bhosle added, “She would tell me, ‘Don’t get into complicated ragas at this age—just practise your sa re ga ma in double, four times, eight times speed. If you do that, you won’t fear any stage in the world.’”
He further revealed, “Even recently she told me, ‘In the morning, first remove the vibration in your voice, then work on your lung power.’ She kept working on herself till the last day.”
‘Don’t separate me from music’Despite age and health concerns, Asha Bhosle continued to perform actively—even into her 90s.
Bhosle recalled, “At 90, she did a huge show in Dubai and then performed at Jio Gardens. During rehearsals, we could see she was physically tired. I told her, ‘Why are you taking so much stress? Why not teach instead?’”
Her response, he said, was unforgettable: “She said, ‘The day someone tells me to stop singing, I will jump from a window... don’t separate me from music, singing, or my musicians.’”
‘She rehearsed every song, every time’Speaking about her work ethic, Bhosle said Asha Bhosle never took her craft lightly—no matter how many times she had performed a song.
“Every Sunday, we would go to her house for rehearsals. Even songs she had sung thousands of times—she would rehearse each one before a show,” he shared.
“From morning to evening, we would practise every song. That level of dedication is rare.”
‘She treated everyone like family’Beyond music, Bhosle remembered her for her warmth and generosity.
“She loved cooking and feeding people. If my wife or daughter visited, she would take them to the kitchen and teach them recipes,” he said.
“She treated everyone like her own—like a son or a brother. She would even serve tea herself.”
‘She remembered every note’Bhosle also spoke about her extraordinary musical memory.
“If a musician played something wrong, she would immediately correct them. Every note, every piece—she remembered everything,” he said.
‘She broke down during a song’Sharing an emotional moment, he recalled, “Once I sang ‘Kahin door jab din dhal jaye...’ and she started crying. She said, ‘Everyone has left me... I am the last one.’”
He added that she would often get emotional revisiting old studios and memories of legends like Mohammed Rafi and R.D. Burman.
‘It felt like Sachin da was singing’Recounting his first meeting with her, Bhosle said he was overwhelmed when she heard him sing.
“I closed my eyes and sang. When I opened them, she was in tears. She said, ‘It felt like Sachin da was standing in front of me and singing.’”
In a recent chat with Meri Saheli, Bhosle reflected on their decades-long association, revealing how Asha Bhosle remained committed to music till the very end—both emotionally and physically.
‘We never stayed without speaking’Talking about their close relationship, Bhosle said, “Our bond has always been very close. We never stayed without speaking—either she would call me or I would call her.”
He also recalled a recent interaction that left a lasting impact on him. “Even when she wasn’t well, she told me, ‘Sudesh, write down September 8—we have to do a show on my birthday.’ I didn’t know something would change within a week... but that was her spirit.”
‘Riyaaz till the last day’Highlighting her discipline, he shared how music remained central to her life.
“Whenever I called her, there would be a tanpura playing in the background. She never left riyaaz till the very end,” he said.
Recalling her advice, Bhosle added, “She would tell me, ‘Don’t get into complicated ragas at this age—just practise your sa re ga ma in double, four times, eight times speed. If you do that, you won’t fear any stage in the world.’”
He further revealed, “Even recently she told me, ‘In the morning, first remove the vibration in your voice, then work on your lung power.’ She kept working on herself till the last day.”
‘Don’t separate me from music’Despite age and health concerns, Asha Bhosle continued to perform actively—even into her 90s.
Bhosle recalled, “At 90, she did a huge show in Dubai and then performed at Jio Gardens. During rehearsals, we could see she was physically tired. I told her, ‘Why are you taking so much stress? Why not teach instead?’”
Her response, he said, was unforgettable: “She said, ‘The day someone tells me to stop singing, I will jump from a window... don’t separate me from music, singing, or my musicians.’”
‘She rehearsed every song, every time’Speaking about her work ethic, Bhosle said Asha Bhosle never took her craft lightly—no matter how many times she had performed a song.
“Every Sunday, we would go to her house for rehearsals. Even songs she had sung thousands of times—she would rehearse each one before a show,” he shared.
“From morning to evening, we would practise every song. That level of dedication is rare.”
‘She treated everyone like family’Beyond music, Bhosle remembered her for her warmth and generosity.
“She loved cooking and feeding people. If my wife or daughter visited, she would take them to the kitchen and teach them recipes,” he said.
“She treated everyone like her own—like a son or a brother. She would even serve tea herself.”
‘She remembered every note’Bhosle also spoke about her extraordinary musical memory.
“If a musician played something wrong, she would immediately correct them. Every note, every piece—she remembered everything,” he said.
‘She broke down during a song’Sharing an emotional moment, he recalled, “Once I sang ‘Kahin door jab din dhal jaye...’ and she started crying. She said, ‘Everyone has left me... I am the last one.’”
He added that she would often get emotional revisiting old studios and memories of legends like Mohammed Rafi and R.D. Burman.
‘It felt like Sachin da was singing’Recounting his first meeting with her, Bhosle said he was overwhelmed when she heard him sing.
“I closed my eyes and sang. When I opened them, she was in tears. She said, ‘It felt like Sachin da was standing in front of me and singing.’”
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