Musician Bappi Lahiri dies of ‘multiple health issues’ at age 69 in Mumbai

Composer Bappi Lahiri, known for his synthesized disco beats, died last night in a hospital in Mumbai at the age of 69. He had been in hospital for a month being treated for multiple health problems, the PTI news agency reports. “Bappi Lahiri had been in hospital for a month and was released on Monday. But his health deteriorated on Tuesday and his family called a doctor to visit his home. He was taken to hospital. He had multiple health problems. he died due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) shortly before midnight,” Dr. Deepak Namjoshi, director of CritiCare hospital, told PTI.

Bappi Lahiri, one of the most influential figures in Indian film music, pioneered disco music in Bollywood in the 1980s and 1990s, composing highly successful soundtracks for films such as Disco dancer, dance dance and Namak Halal. He also had extensive music credits in the world of Bengali cinema. He sang several of his own compositions, including Koi Yaha Naache Naache from disco dancer and tweetBina Kaha Chain of Sahab. Bappi da, as he was fondly known, had a graceful figure in his trademark gold chains and sunglasses.

Bappi Lahiri, whose real name is Alokesh, also had a brief career as a politician, joining the BJP in 2014. He lost the Lok Sabha elections that year to a candidate from Trinamool.

Bappi Lahiri’s last Bollywood song was Bhankas for the 2020 movie Baghi 3. He is survived by his son Bappa and daughter Rema.