Indian fans were disappointed to find iconic singer Lata Mangeshkar’s name missing from the Grammys’ In Memoriam section on Monday.

Mangeshkar, one of India’s most beloved and prolific singers, died in Mumbai city in February.

Often called the “nightingale of Bollywood”, she sang thousands of songs in more than 30 languages.

Last month, she was featured in the British Academy Film and Television Awards’ (BAFTA) In Memoriam segment.

But both the Oscars last week and the Grammys this week left her out of the section, which pays homage to artists who have died in the past year.

Fans were especially riled by the omission from the Grammys, which calls itself “music’s biggest night”.
This year, the Grammys paid homage to several artists, including musical theatre legend Stephen Sondheim, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, designer Virgil Abloh and actor Betty Davis.

Mangeshkar wasn’t the only high-profile name missing, though. Fans criticised the absence of Indian music composer Bappi Lahiri – who also died in February – as well as Grammy-winning producer Phil Schapp and Slipknot’s Joey Jordison.

At the Oscars too, fans were surprised to find Mangeshkar, Lahiri and Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar absent from the tributes.
In 2021, the Oscars had paid tribute to Indian actors Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and costume designer Bhanu Athaiya.

Mangeshkar’s death – weeks after she was admitted to a hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 – had sparked tributes from millions of fans around the world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said her death had left a “void in our nation that cannot be filled”.

The classically-trained star rose to fame as a “playback singer” in Bollywood, giving voice to the film industry’s lip-synching movie stars for more than half a century.

For decades, she was the country’s most in-demand singer, with every top actress wanting her to sing their songs.

She received India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001.

In 2004, when she turned 75, one of Bollywood’s biggest directors, Yash Chopra, wrote for the BBC that he saw “God’s blessings in her voice”.