Mumbai: The golden era of radio has come to an end as iconic host Ameen Sayani, who had become a household name with the radio programme Geetmala, passed away on Tuesday night after suffering heart failure. He was 91.
He reportedly suffered a heart attack on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. The doctors at the hospital tried to treat him but he was declared dead after the revival attempts didn’t yield a positive result.
Ameen had been suffering from high blood pressure and other age-related ailments for some time. He also had back issues owing to which he used a walker.
Born on December 21, 1932, in Mumbai, Ameen Sayani hailed from a multilingual family. He began his career as an English broadcaster but he transitioned to Hindi post-independence.
Sayani rose to fame creation of ‘Geetmala,’ a groundbreaking show that aired in December 1952. The program, featuring chart-topping hits, became a cultural phenomenon in South Asia.
Its unparalleled success led to its broadcast longevity, running from 1952 to 1994, followed by revivals in 2000-2001 and 2001-2003 with slight variations in its name.
He produced a record number of 54, 000 radio programmes and lent his voice to over 19, 000 advertisements and jingles.
