Mumbai: Music composer and singer Bappi Lahiri, who popularised disco music in India, has passed away at the age of 69. Paying tribute to the Disco King, filmmaker Hansal Mehta tweeted: “Another legend gone. BappiLahiri. Had the good fortune of working closely with him when I shot an ad for p&g and then when I worked with White Feather Films for Sanjay Gupta. Man of incredible melody and talent.” Ashoke Pandit said, “Shocked to hear about the demise of rockstar Bappi Lahiri ji. Can’t believe my next door neighbour is no more . Your music will always remain in our hearts . Om Shanti!” “Bappi Da was so endearing in person. But, his music had an edge. He introduced a more contemporary style to Hindi film music with Chalte Chalte, Suraksha and Disco Dancer. Om Shanti Dada. You will be missed,” actor Ajay Devgn tweeted. Lahiri was discharged on Monday after being in hospital for a month. However, he was again admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after his health deteriorated. Bappi Lahiri was suffering from multiple health issues. He died due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) shortly before midnight,” doctors treating him said on Wednesday. He is survived by his son Bappa and daughter Rema. He was also hospitalised last year after he tested positive for coronavirus. Fondly known as Bappi Da, real name Alokesh Lahiri, was born in 1952 in a family of singers Aparesh Lahiri and Bansuri Lahiri in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award at 63rd Filmfare Awards. In 1974, the singer started his career with his composition for the Bengali film ‘Daadu’. Bappi Lahiri was known for popularising the disco music in Bollywood as he delivered popular songs in several films of the late 1970s-80s like ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Disco Dancer’, ‘Namak Halal’, ‘Dance Dance’ and ‘Sharaabi’. His last Bollywood song titled ‘Bhankas’ was for the film ‘Baaghi 3’, released in 2020. UNI RNJ
