Following the demise of Bappi Lahiri on Tuesday, celebrities from all fields, including various Indian film industries, cricketers, writers, journalists and politicians paid tribute to the late veteran singer and music composer on social media.
The health of the late musician, who had been admitted to a Mumbai hospital for a month, took a sudden bad turn on Tuesday and he died due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) late that night.
Known as the ‘Disco King’, Lahiri was born in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri. In a career spanning over five decades, Lahiri sung over 300 songs and composed more than 1900 songs in several languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, and Gujarati. He won multiple Filmfare awards for Best Music Director and a Lifetime Achievement Award for songs in Hindi films such as Armaan, Namak Halaal, Sharaabi, Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki, Tohfa, and Aaj Ka Arjun. He was also conferred with the Bangabibhushan Award, the highest civilian award of West Bengal.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who had worked with Lahiri in the past, tweeted, “Another legend gone. Had the good fortune of working closely with him when I shot an ad for P&G and then when I worked with White Feather Films for Sanjay Gupta. Man of incredible melody and talent.”
“Bappi Da was so endearing in person. But, his music had an edge. He introduced a more contemporary style to Hindi film music with Chalte Chalte, Suraksha & Disco Dancer,” wrote actor Ajay Devgn, adding that he will be missed.
Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit expressed his shock over the death of the singer, whom he termed ‘rockstar’, and wrote, “Can’t believe my next door neighbour is no more. Your music will always remain in our hearts.”
Veteran singer Adnan Sami also expressed his disbelief and said farewell to Lahiri through Hindi song lyrics. He wrote on Twitter, “He was India’s first ‘ROCK STAR’! He was full of love & generosity! Will miss him dearly… Chalte Chalte… Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakhna… Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna… Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna… Rest in peace dear Bappi Da.”
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his condolences and tweeted, “Shri Bappi Lahiri Ji’s music was all encompassing, beautifully expressing diverse emotions. People across generations could relate to his works. His lively nature will be missed by everyone. Saddened by his demise.”
Expressing her shock and condolences upon Lahiri’s demise, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote, “Shocked to hear about the untimely demise of legendary singer and music composer Bappi Lahiri. A boy from our North Bengal, he rose to all-India fame and success by the dint of his sheer talent and hard work, and made us proud by his musical contributions. We had conferred on him our highest state civilian award ‘Bangabibhushan’ and will continue to remember the genius. My sincere condolences.”
The Ministry of Culture also shared its tribute on Twitter, and wrote,”His songs will echo in the hearts of music lovers till eternity.”
Others who paid tribute to Lahiri included actors Siddharth Malhotra, Akanksha Puri, filmmaker Bobby, cricketer Yuvraj Singh, poet and writer Manoj Muntashir, author and actor Suhel Seth, and several politicians.
The late singer-composer is survived by his wife Chitrani Lahiri, daughter and singer Rema Lahiri Bansal, and son Bappa Lahiri.