Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi dead

Mumbai: Eminent Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi passed away early Tuesday at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai.

Sitara Devi was admitted to Jaslok Hospital few days back. She was on ventilator after her health deteriorated Monday morning.

Sitara Devi was earlier admitted to the Cumballa Hill Hospital and Heart Institute.

Born Dhannolakshmi in the family of Brahmin 'kathakar' Sukhdev Maharaj in Kolkata in 1920, Sitara Devi impressed Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore with a three-hour solo recital after her family moved to Mumbai.

She became a Kathak legend and is known as a pioneering force in bringing the genre to Bollywood.

She is the recipient of prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shri and Kalidas Samman.