SD Burman widow passes away at 84

Meera Dev Burman, renowned singer and wife of legendary music composer Sachin Dev Burman, died in Mumbai on Monday after protracted illness, officials said. She was 84.

Hospital sources confirmed that Meera, who had apparently lost her mental equilibrium, died of old age. A few months ago she had been taken to a rehabilitation centre for treatment for paraplegia - the complete paralysis of the lower half of the body. 

“She died around 5am at Lilavati Hospital, where she had been admitted two days ago after her condition deteriorated,” said Partha Pratim Ganguly, a senior information department official from Tripura.

Born in March 1923, in Comilla, Bangladesh, Meera later settled down in Kolkata. SD Burman fell in love with her when they met at the All-India Music Conference in Allahabad in 1937.

Meera, who became Burman’s student, married him later that year. An accomplished singer and dancer, Meera played a pivotal role in the career of the maestro, who died in 1975.

The Tripura government had recently sent a delegation to Mumbai to felicitate Meera Dev Burman at a function at daughter-in-law Asha Bhosle’s home in Khar.