Indian ghazal king Jagjit Singh's way of celebrating his 70th year was unique - he was aiming to complete 70 concerts by the end of the year. The man who gave ghazals a new lease of life managed only 46 before breathing his last.

Singh, who learnt music under Pandit Chaganlal Sharma and then Ustad Jamaal Khan, rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s with his lilting voice and refreshing style of rendering ghazals and devotional tracks. He was a Padma Bhushan awardee.

Born to a Sikh couple in Rajasthan Feb 8, 1941, Singh went on to pursue a post graduation in history from the Kurukshetra University in Haryana. He came to the country's entertainment capital, Mumbai in 1965, in search of work as a singer.

It was a struggle. Singing at small musical gatherings, house concerts and film parties in the hope of being noticed, became almost a daily routine for him. But he didn't lose hope.

In 1967, he met singer Chitra and following a courtship of two years, they tied the knot. Together they came up with several hit ghazal albums like "Ecstasies", "A Sound Affair", "Passions" and "Beyond Time" and were considered a formidable husband- wife singer duo.

They sang many successful duets until their only son, Vivek, died at the age of 21 in 1990. Chitra stopped singing. However, Singh continued his tryst with music - and for good.

In 1987, Singh recorded the first purely digital CD album by an Indian musician, "Beyond Time".

He also sang for Bollywood films like "Arth", "Saath Saath" and "Premgeet". He created a strong footing in films with songs like "Hontho se chhoo lo tum" ("Prem Geet"), "Tumko dekha toh yeh khayal aaya" ("Saath Saath"), "Jhuki jhuki si nazar" ("Arth"), "Hoshwalon ko" ("Sarfarosh") and "Badi nazuk hai" ("Jogger's Park").

Most of his non-film albums - "Hope", "In Search", "Insight", "Mirage", "Visions", "Kahkashan", "Love Is Blind", "Chirag", "Sajda", "Marasim", "Face To Face", "Aaeena" and "Cry For Cry" - were successful too.

His concerts were a delight, especially when he broke into pleasant Punjabi numbers like "Saun da mahina". His heavy voice used to turn joyful, leaving his listeners smiling ear to ear.

He had also collaborated with former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in two albums, "Nayi Disha" (1999) and "Samvedna" (2002). In his later years, Singh became disinterested in Bollywood music due to the moneymindedness of film producers.

But he remained connected to causes relating to the music industry. He was one of the frontrunners battling to get an equal percentage of royalty for singers and lyricist from songs.

What he couldn't battle was his illness. After being hospitalised for brain haemorrhage Sep 23, he died Monday morning. But the voice in tracks that won him the tag of Indian ghazal king, will remain fresh for generations to come.

Jagjit Singh brought soul to film songs, says Bollywood

One filmmaker said it was Jagjit Singh's songs that made his film touch millions of hearts, an actor said the ghazal singer was the king of soulful music, and yet another said it was a personal loss. Bollywood bid an emotional farewell to the singer after his death Monday, saying he never needed films to be popular.

Singh, who breathed his last at 8 a.m. Monday, was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital Sep 23 after he suffered a brain haemorrhage. He is survived by wife Chitra Singh.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher said: "Jagjit Singh's death is a personal loss. His music was soothing and healing. It had a direct connection with the heart. He was not a showman, he was very down to earth. His music connected effortlessly."

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt tweeted: "My film 'Arth' would not have touched the hearts of millions of people without the contribution of Jagjit Singh. Thank you friend."

"I am in shock after hearing about Jagjitji's death. It is such a big loss, an end of an era. He was one artist who never needed films to get popular. He was an instant hit," said singing legend Lata Mangeshkar.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan posted on his Twitter account: "So sad to hear of the demise of Jagjit Singhji. May Allah bless his soul."

Producer and director Karan Johar tweeted: "I grew up listening to the brilliance of Jagjit Singh ... my mother was a big fan and then made me one ... RIP sir!!! Loss of a true legend."

"Saddened to know 'The Ghazal King', Jagjit Singh is no more. Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho, this song makes me misty-e," Akshay Kumar tweeted.

"I can't imagine the days when I will no longer be able to hear his silken voice, no longer be able to talk to him or listen to his new songs. Now his old ghazals is all we have. His soothing voice, his warmhearted nature are all gone now. He was the pride of India. I also feel bad for his wife Chitra, she is all alone now," said Asha Bhosle.

A Padma Bhushan awardee, Singh sang from many popular Hindi films. He had also sung in several languages, including Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati and Nepali.

Shabana Azmi: "Jagjit Singh no more. His contribution to the ghazal in India is unparalleled. Big loss."

Shekhar Kapur: "A heart that captured millions through poetry n song. G'bye Jagjit, dear friend."

Preity Zinta: "May god give peace to Mr. Jagjit Singh's soul ! He was the king of poetry & soulful music; He will live in our hearts forever ... R.I.P."

Kabir Bedi: "Jagjit's passing fills me with sadness, but his voice & melodies are with us forever. Farewell, dear friend, Jagjit Singh."

Madhur Bhandarkar: "Terribly shocked to hear the sad demise of Jagjit Singhji, in u i have lost a dear friend, yr soulful songs will remain till eternity."

Shreya Ghoshal: "Jagjit Ji passes away. One of the saddest days for all us music lovers. The golden voice will not sing anymore. Rest in peace."