Singer Girija Devi died on Tuesday in Kolkata at the age of 88. She was known as the “thumri queen” for popularising the genre of semi-classical Indian music.

Doctors at Kolkata’s BM Birla Nursing Home said she suffered a cardiac arrest.

Devi made her public debut on All India Radio Allahabad in 1949. She was given all three Padma awards – she was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2016. The singer had also won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.