Amitabh Bachchan's ailing mother, Teji Bachchan, has died after spending a year at Mumbai's Lilawati Hospital, in suburban Bandra. She was 93.

Amitabh , who was very close to his mother after the death of his father in 2003, would visit her often. Teji was an important part of the Big B's [Images] professional life as well. For instance, in the original script of Coolie, Amitabh's character would die. But Teji requested director Manmohan Desai to change the ending for personal reasons.

Even though Teji was in poor health for a long time, she remained a strong support system for the Bachchan family. In fact, the first thing that Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai did after they got married was visit Teji at the hospital.

It is said that Amitabh always sought her advice in all family decisions.

Teji was a close friend of the late Prime Minister of India, Mrs Indira Gandhi , even before Sonia Gandhi became a part of it. Teji was a link between the Gandhi and Bachchan families.