MUMBAI: Born on 8 September 1933, the evergreen Asha Bhosle is all set to embrace the 81st year of her life.

The younger sister of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, has sung for Bollywood actresses like Madhubala, Helen and Asha Parekh as well as the new-age heroines like Kareena Kapoor.

Celebrating her birthday and thanking her fans for supporting her in her journey, she tweeted, “Thank you for kind greetings. Without your support I wouldn't have achieved my goals. Walk a bit longer with me & we'll find the perfect note.”

The Padma Vibhushan awardee is said to have crooned more than 12,000 songs in multiple languages. Apart from Hindi, she has also sung in over 20 Indian and foreign languages.

In a career spanning over half a century filled with music and milestones, one of India’s most loved singers has faced a number of ups and downs in her professional as well as personal life.

Asha Bhosle started her career as a playback singer with ‘Chala chala nav bala’ in the Marathi film Majha Bal (1943) at the age of 10 to support her family. But she first tasted success with BR Chopra’s Naya Daur (1957), in which she sang ‘Saathi haath badhana ‘and ‘Uden jab jab zulfein teri’.

Some of her memorable numbers are, ‘Aaiye meherban’, ‘Jaaiye aap kahan’, ‘Raat akeli hai’, ‘Piya tu ab toh aaja’, ‘Dum maaro dum’, ‘Dil cheez kya hai’, ‘Yayi re yayi re’ and ‘Arre re arre’ among others.

In September 2009, The World Records Academy, an international organisation which certifies world records, recognised her as the ‘Most Recorded Artist’ in the world.

In 2011 she was officially acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most recorded artist in music history. The Government of India honoured her with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.

In 2013, she made her debut as an actress at the age of 79, in the film Mai, and received critical acclaim for her performance.