He was awarded Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor.
He was born into a family of musicians; his father was a singer in a royal court, and his two brothers were also musicians. He began singing on stage with his brothers when he was 11.
He was in the US when India went into lockdown in March 2020 to halt the spread of coronavirus. He had been planning to return to India when travel restrictions were lifted.