Born on December 24, 1924, legendary singer Mohammad Rafi began his singing career by chanting the notes that a 'fakir' (Muslim saint) sung in his village. Rafi remains one of India's greatest singers who lent his voice to Bollywood megastars including Amitabh Bachchan, Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra and Dev Anand in his career as a successful playback artist.He died of a heart attack in Mumbai on July 31, 1980. Rafi was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1967. He has numerous hit songs to his credit including several duets with famous playback singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

Working with music directors like OP Nayyar, Laxmikant Pyarelal and RD Burman, Rafi delivered some evergreen hits including 'Yeh duniya yeh mehfil', 'Chura liya hai tumne', 'O Haseena', 'Tum jo mil gaye ho' and 'Aaj mausam bada beimaan'.Rafi was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1967.Playlist: Best of Mohammad Rafi on his birth anniversary

In a career spanning 35 years, Rafi has a wide range of songs to his credit, from classical to patriotic, mellow love songs to highly peppy numbers, qawwalis, ghazals and bhajans.Here is a playlist of some of his most memorable numbers.