Manna Dey will live forever in our hearts: Ranbir Kapoor

Bollywood celebrities Ranbir Kapoor and singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya remember legendary playback singer Manna Dey as "a huge pillar of the film industry" and an "imperceptible power of voice".

Manna Dey died Thursday after a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Bangalore. He had been ailing for four months. He was 94

"Manna Dey has been a huge pillar of the film industry. His contribution to Indian cinema has been immense," Ranbir said in an interview.

"Songs like 'Ae meri Zohra Jabeen', and all those songs he sang for my grandfather and for my banner...I thank him for all the love and the music that he has given us. He will live forever in our hearts," added the 31-year-old.

Manna Dey sang songs like "Tere bina aag yeh chandni" ("Awara") and "Mudh mudh ke na dekh" ("Shree 420") for Ranbir's grandfather, Raj Kapoor, who was one of the best actors and directors of his era.

For Abhijeet Bhattacharaya, Manna Dey was an "imperceptible power of voice".

"Music is incomplete without Manna Dey. For me, Manna Dey and music is a single word. Just like we can't breathe without oxygen, same way music would have been incomplete without his voice," Abhijeet said.

"Today, he is not between us, but he has been there among us as god. Such people came as incarnation and then become imperceptible. He is an imperceptible power in terms of voice," he added.

Manna Dey has left behind two daughters, Rama and Sumita.

In his seven-decade career, he sang a range of songs from romantic numbers to classical to fun songs. Some of his memorable songs are "Aaja sanam madhur chandani main hum", "Chunari sambhal gori udi chali jaye re", "Zindagi kaisi hai paheli" and "Chalat musafir moh liyo re".