New Delhi: Veteran singer-composer Bappi Lahiri, affectionately known as Bappi Da, died at a Mumbai hospital on Tuesday night (15 February 2022)  at the age of 69. In the 1980s and 1990s, he introduced disco music to Hindi cinema.


Bappi Lahiri, also known as the 'Disco King' in India, was born in 1952 in Jalpaiguri into a Bengali Brahmin family with a long musical legacy. He began his career as a music director at the age of 19.


Aparesh Lahiri, his father, was a well-known Bengali vocalist, and his mother, Bansari Lahiri, was a musician and singer who was well-versed in classical music and Shyama Sangeet.


His given name at birth was Alokesh Lahiri. He was his parents' only child. He began playing the tabla when he was three years old. His parents were the first to provide him with music instruction. Bappi Lahiri married Chitrani and their two children are son Bappa Lahiri and daughter Reema Lahiri.


Reema is a talented singer herself, while Bappa Lahiri has inherited his father's musical ear. 


Bappi Lahiri rose to prominence in the late 1970s, and made his mark in the industry with impressive music through 1980s and early 1990s. He composed hit soundtracks for films such as Naya Kadam, Disco Dancer, Hathkadi, Namak Halaal, Masterji, Dance Dance, Himmatwala, Tohfa and Sharaabi.


Bappi Lahiri was a total performer, a celebrity with diverse abilities as a vocalist, music director and drummer. He was the most popular music director in the 1980s, and his most renowned compositions for films like Disco Dancer has left an indelible impact on the minds of all music aficionados. 


After dominating the big-screen Hindi cinema, he featured as a co-judge on Zee TV's iconic singing reality show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs' in 2006, with singers Alka Yagnik and Abhijeet.


Few people are aware that Bappi Lahiri had joined the BJP in 2014. He contested the Lok Sabha seat of Serampore in West Bengal in the 2014 general election but lost.


Fans and celebrities are in shock after learning of his passing. The singer is survived by his wife Chitrani, daughter Reema and son Bappa.