Veteran India singer, music-composer Bappi Lahiri dies at 69

 India: Popularly known as Disco King, Indian singer and music composer Bappi Lahiri has died. He was 69.

According to the Press Trust of India, an Indian news agency, Lahiri, fondly known as Bappi Da, passed away on Tuesday night in CritiCare Hospital in Juhu, Mumbai.

The singer/composer had multiple health issues and was discharged from the hospital a day before, after being kept for more than a month. He died due to obstructive sleep apnea, the doctors told PTI.

From the ’80s to the ’90s, Lahiri ruled Bollywood with his compositions. ‘Namak Halal’, ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Himmatwala’, ‘Sharabi’, and ‘Saaheb’ were some of the most popular films he composed music for in his career spanning over five decades.

What catapulted Lahiri to fame were his disco songs, which had quirky lyrics and music. Credited for popularising the use of synthesised disco music in the Indian cinema, with chartbuster albums of popular movies like ‘Disco Dancer, ‘Thanedaar’, ‘Kasam Peda Karne Wala Ki’ and ‘Dance Dance’, Lahiri redefined music for the Hindi film viewers.

In 2020, Lahiri–who often appeared on TV shows always wearing his trademark gold jewellery and dark sunglasses–sang his first Nepali song, ‘Farak Cha Bhasa’.

Lahiri, who started his career in 1969, last lent his voice to a song in 2020’s famous Hindi film, ‘Baaghi’.