Fact Check: Lata Mangeshkar Death Rumours Spread On WhatsApp, Social Media

In this age of fake news and WhatsApp forwards, celebrity death hoaxes have become a regular thing. The latest celebrity to fall prey to this dangerous trend is legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. On Friday morning, I got a WhatsApp forward informing me of Mangeshkar's death and paying respectes to her. Soon, couple of more friends sent the same messages, while others got similar messages too. It said, "Bhartiya Sangeet ki sur samragyi, swar kokila adarniya Lata Mangeshkar ji ki Mumbai ke Breeze Candy hospital mein akasmik nidhan #Ashrupoorn_Shraddhanjali (sic)." The messages got more traction as it came just days after Lata Mangeshkar was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital (and not Breeze Candy hospital) for treatment. 

To borrow the words of the Mark Twain, the reports of Lata Mangeshkar's death are greatly exaggerated.

Lata Mangeshkar (90) was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital after she complained of difficulty in breathing in the early hours of Monday. However she is recovering and showing signs of improvement.

On Thursday, Lata Mangeshkar’s spokesperson also issued a statement requesting everyone to not pay any heed to the rumours as she is getting better.The statement said, "Lata didi is stable and getting better. Request to please do not heed to needless rumours and react. Let us all collectively pray for her long life instead."

This is not the first time Lata Mangeshkar has fell victim to such death hoax. Back in 2014, rumors of her passing were shared on social media. On hearing of the rumour, fans even went on to share their heartfelt messages and condolences to the star on several social networking platforms. However, these rumours were put to rest by Lataji herself by tweeting, "Namaskar. Please don’t believe any rumours which are doing the rounds about my health and well-being. All is well, by the Grace of God".