Why did ‘Disco King’ Bappi Lahiri wear so much gold; old interview of late composer resurfaces

Mumbai/Bhubaneswar: Veteran singer-composer Alokesh alias Bappi Lahiri – nephew of the legendary trio of late Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Anoop Kumar – passed away due to multiple health issues, his family said here on Wednesday.

Wielding the baton from the age of 19, Lahiri, 69, and breathed his last at the Criticare Hospital, Juhu, said the hospital Director Dr Deepak Namjoshi.

Besides his upbeat disco songs, Bappi Lahiri was also a style icon, particularly distinctive for his fashion choice. The legendary musician for most of his life wore extravagant clothes and donned a lot of gold in his person. The flashy gold chains, rings and bracelets even led some sections of the media to dub him as the ‘Gold Man’ of India.

But why did the late composer wear so much gold? Well, an old interview has recently surfaced again where Bappi da explained his fashion choice.

“When my first film Zakhmee was a success, my mother gave it to me and since then gold has been very lucky for me as every song was a hit after this. I was also really fascinated with the way Elvis Presley has his own identity and I too decided to have my own, and here I am today,” Bappi da reportedly said in a reality show.

Lahiri – who attained fame as India’s first ‘Disco King’ – is survived by his wife, Chitrani, daughter Rema and a son Bappa, who has taken to his dad’s musical career.

(With IANS inputs)