Bappi Lahiri: King of Bollywood disco dies at 69

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Lahiri, who recovered from Covid in April last year, was in hospital for the past month. He died on Tuesday.

His funky, foot-stomping music had Indians fall in love with disco and had an entire country dancing to his tunes.

Politicians, cricketers and Bollywood stars have mourned his death, with many remembering their favourite songs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by Lahiri’s death.

“His demise leaves a big void in the world of Indian music,” Mr Modi tweeted. “Bappi Da will be remembered for his versatile singing and lively nature.”

Fondly known as “Bappi Da”, Lahiri is credited for getting the disco ball spinning in India.

His music from the movie Disco Dancer introduced a new form of freeform dancing in Bollywood. It also turned actors like Mithun Chakraborty into icons, whose groovy moves to the bouncing synths, immortalised him as a dancing legend.

Lahiri composed songs for several other hit Bollywood flicks such as Himmatwala, Sharaabi, Adventures of Tarzan, Dance Dance, Satyamev Jayate, Shola Aur Shabnam, among others.

But often, the most striking characteristic about Lahiri was his casual, ornamental bling.

Always seen sporting gleaming gold chains and bracelets, he was a style icon for many. His flashy velvet jackets and sequinned robes were also a trademark style.

In 2016, the musician explained that his love for gold was connected to his fondness for American rockstar Elvis Presley.

“In Hollywood, famous singer Elvis Presley used to wear gold chains. I was a huge follower of Presley. I used to think, if I become successful someday, then I will build a different image of mine. By the grace of God, I could do it with gold,” he told ANI news agency.