Veteran singer Gangubai Hangal dead

New Delhi: Veteran Hindustani Classical singer Gangubai Hangal, 97, died due to a heart attack on Tuesday morning.

Celebrated playwright Girish Karnad to spoke to CNN-IBN on Gangubai Hangal, "I knew her very well, to say that she was a great singer was to say nothing. Bharat Ratna could have gone to her. She had a tough life but a tremendous sense of humour," he said.

Leading contemporary writer and critic for Kannada language, UR Ananthamurthy also spoke about Gangubai's death, "She was a mother of South Indian classical music," he said.

She was admitted to the hospital on Monday night after complaining of chest congestion. She was undergoing treatment for cardiac and respiratory problems.

Gangubai was a singer of the Kirana Gharana and has won several awards for her contribution to music including the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. She is survived by two sons Baburao and Narayan.

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