Indian singer and composer Bappi Lahiri, who is popularly known as ‘Disco King’, died in Mumbai on February 15 at the age of 69, due to multiple health conditions.

According to CritiCare Hospital, he was admitted earlier for a month before being discharged on February 14. 

Bappi Lahiri made his mark in the music industry, not just in India but also internationally. Over the course of his career of five decades, he has worked with a host of well-known names like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and international stars such as Lady Gaga and Akon. We know much about Bappi Lahiri as a public figure, but there are still some things to know about the genre-shaping singer.

Did you know Bappi Lahiri’s real name was Alokesh Lahiri? 

Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri was born in 1952 in Calcutta to a family with a rich history in classical and traditional music. That’s where his musical journey began.

Bappi Lahiri Began to play the tabla at the age of three

Bappi Lahiri was introduced to music by his parents Aparesh and Bansuri Lahiri. He was just three years old when he started playing the tabla.

Also read: Bappi Lahiri death: When Cardi B played ‘Kaliyon Ka Chaman’ in a video

Kishore Kumar was his maternal uncle 

Music runs in the family. Bappi Lahiri’s parents were trained musicians and his maternal uncle Kishore Kumar was a legendary singer. The two have collaborated on many albums such as ‘Zakhmee’ (1975), ‘Chalte Chalte’ (1976) and ‘Inteha Ho Gayi.’

He sued American singer Truth Hurts for copying his music

Bappi Lahiri’s song ‘Thoda Resham Lagta Hai’ was  included in the song  ‘Addictive’ by Truth Hurts. The Saregamapa group then sued the singer in a Los Angeles court and the ruling was in favour of Bappi Lahiri. 

In 2006 Bappi Lahiri sang for another composer

In 2006, Bappi lent his voice for Vishal Dadlani’s album Taxi No 9211. He sang the song ‘Mumbai Nagariya.’ He also worked with AR Rehaman in the film Guru (2011).

His song ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ was globally acclaimed

The song ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ from the movie ‘Disco Dancer’ won Bappi Lahiri several accolades. The song was remade for the Hollywood movie ‘You Don’t Mess with the Zohan’. It was featured at the end of the movie.

Also read: Bappi Lahiri dies: A timeline of disco pioneer’s golden career

Bappi Lahiri owned more than 75 kg of gold

Lahiri strongly believed that gold was his lucky metal. At any occasion, he would be wearing seven to eight chains, rings and bracelets. He bought a gold teapot on the occasion of Dhanteras in 2021 because he thought he had enough gold chains.

He was inspired by Elvis Presley in his dressing style.

When he appeared in ‘Indian Idol Season 12’, he was asked by a contestant about his style inspiration. Bappi Lahiri revealed that he was highly inspired by Elvis Presley’s sense of dressing and he combined it with his own gold collection.