Veteran singer Vani Jayaram who has sung over 10,000 songs in 19 languages including the very popular Hindi number 'bole re papihara' died here on Saturday as reported by PTI.

She was 77 and was living all alone at a downtown apartment. Her husband predeceased her and she has no children.

The singer's maid turned up as usual for work on Saturday. However, she did not get any response despite repeatedly pressing the calling bell. Immediately, she alerted the singer's relatives who informed police. In the presence of Vani Jayaram's relatives, police broke open the door and found her dead.

The renowned singer had performed over 8,000 songs across 14 different languages including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Assamese and Bengali. She had worked with eminent composers like M.S. Vishwanathan, K.V. Mahadevan, Chakravarthy, Ilaiyaraaja, and Sathyam, among others, across several film industries over five decades.

In January this year, Vani Jayaram was awarded the Padma Bhushan for her contribution to Indian music. She was also a recipient of the National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer three times.