‘Asha Bhosle didn’t leave Riyaz till the end,’ Sudesh Bhosle recalls emotional moment: ‘Everyone has left me… I am the last one’
Veteran singer Sudesh Bhosle has revealed about his close relationship with the legendary icon Asha BhosleRemembering his discipline, passion and warmth. Asha Bhosle died on April 12, 2026 in Mumbai at the age of 92. He breathed his last at Breach Candy Hospital after a brief illness caused by chest infection and exhaustion.In a recent conversation with my friend, Bhosle reflected on their decades-long association, revealing how Asha Bhosle remained emotionally and physically committed to music till the end.
‘We never remain without speaking’
Talking about their close relationship, Bhosle said, “Our relationship has always been very close. We never went without talking – either she would call me or I would call her.”He also recalled a recent conversation that left a lasting impression on him. “Even when she was not well, she told me, ‘Sudesh, write down September 8 – we have to do a show on my birthday.’ I didn’t know that something would change within a week… but that was his feeling.
‘Riyaz till the last day’
Throwing light on his discipline, he told how music remained the center of his life.He said, “Whenever I called him, tanpura was playing in the background. He did not leave Riyaz till the end.”Recalling her advice, Bhosle said, “She used to tell me, ‘Don’t get into complicated ragas at this age – just practice your saregamama in double, quadruple, eightfold speed. If you do that, you will not be afraid of any stage in the world.'”He further added, ‘Even recently he told me, ‘First thing in the morning, remove the tremor 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 into her 90s.Bhosale recalled, “At the age of 90, she did a big show in Dubai and then performed at Jio Garden. During rehearsals, we could see that she was physically tired. I told her, ‘Why are you taking so much stress? Why don’t you teach instead?’His response, she said, was unforgettable: “She said, ‘The day someone tells me to stop singing, I will jump out the window… Don’t separate me from music, singing or my musicians.'”
‘He rehearsed every song, every time’
Speaking about her work ethic, Bhosle said that Asha Bhosle never took her art for granted – no matter how many times she performed a song.He shared, “Every Sunday, we would go to her house for rehearsals. Even the songs that she had sung thousands of times – she would rehearse each one before the show.”“From morning till evening, we would practice every song. That level of dedication is rare.”
‘She treated everyone like family’
Beyond music, Bhosale remembered him for his warmth and generosity.“He loved cooking and feeding people. If my wife or daughter was visiting, he would take them into the kitchen and teach them recipes,” he said.“She treated everyone like her son or brother. She even served tea herself.”
‘He remembered every note’
Bhosale also spoke about his extraordinary musical memory.He said, “If a musician played something wrong, she would correct it immediately. Every note, every piece—she remembered everything.”
‘She cried during one 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.”She said that she often got emotional remembering the old studios and the memories of legends like Mohammed Rafi and RD Burman.
‘It felt as if Sachin da was singing’
Recalling his first meeting with him, Bhosle said that he was overwhelmed when he heard him sing.“I closed my eyes and sang the song. When I opened my eyes, he had tears in his eyes. He said, ‘It felt as if Sachin da was standing in front of me and singing.’