Breach Candy hospital on Monday dismissed viral Facebook posts that claimed singer Lata Mangeshkar has succumbed to Covid-19.
Speaking to BOOM, the hospital authorities said that the 92-year-old singer, who is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, has shown signs of improvement and that her condition is being monitored closely.
Mangeshkar known as the Melody Queen of India, was admitted to Breach Candy on January 8, after testing positive for Covid-19. Reports said the singer was also receiving treatment for pnuemonia and was in the Intensive Care Unit in the hospital.
Mangeshkar, the voice for over thousands of songs in Bollywood and many other languages and has been awarded several awards including the Bharat Ratna in 2001, the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan, Dada Saheb Phalke Award and multiple National Film Awards.
The viral posts in Hindi have a photo of the singer with various captions all claiming that she died at the age of 92. Most captions say, "Lata Mangeshkar has died in Mumbai. Om Shanti"
(Original text in Hindi - लता मंगेशकर का ९२ वर्ष की उम्र में निधन)
FACT CHECK
BOOM reached out to the Breach Candy hospital where Mangeshkar was admitted on January 8.
Speaking to us, Dr Pratit Samdani, associate professor and her treating doctor at Breach Candy, said, "She is currently in the ICU under treatment. We are monitoring her constantly and she is showing signs of improvement," He further added that it is difficult to say how long she would be in the hospital. "I cannot elaborate further on her state or when she will be discharged."
Another hospital source also confirmed to BOOM that the singer was alive and recuperating. "Any update claiming she has died are false. She is admitted in the ICU and very much alive," said the source.
We also found a tweet from Mangeshkar's official handle when her spokesperson on January 22, had tweeted asking people to not pay heed to false speculations about her health conditions.
A member of her media team was also quoted by media reports as saying, "Lata Di is stable. Will come home after the doctors give the nod."