Did you Know: Bappi Lahiri refused to gift Michael Jackson his lucky gold pendant

Veteran singer and composer Bappi Lahiri breathed his last on Tuesday night at Mumbai’s CritiCare Hospital in Juhu. He was 69 years old and battling several health issues.

Bappi, Bollywood’s undisputed ‘Disco King’, once revealed that late pop star Michael Jackson was a fan of his work. During Michael’s visit to Mumbai in 1996, he met Bappi and said that he loved his song Jimmy Jimmy from Disco Dancer.

In a throwback interview with Indian Express in 2018, Lahiri had shared the story of Michael Jackson being fascinated by his Ganesh gold chain. The late music composer had said that it was the same necklace his wife had given him.

The industry first noticed me after Zakhmee (1975). My mother gave me a small gold necklace to celebrate. When I got married in 1977, my wife gave me two more: a ‘B’ for Bappi locket, and this Ganapati one. When I met Michael Jackson in 1996 when he came to Bombay, he saw it and said, ‘Oh, what a beautiful Ganesh!’" the legendary singer had said.

However, he couldn't part with it or give it to MJ because it brought the Yaad Aa Raha Hai singer good luck.

"But then I thought, he has everything, whereas I have only this gold that is lucky for me. There was one more thing — I was born in Kolkata but it is the soil of Maharashtra that gave me its blessing. If I gave Michael the Ganesh, then maybe the blessing would leave me too," he had further said.

Bappi Da was also a big fan of Elton John, the disco king has dubbed for singer Elton John’s special appearance in the Hindi version of the English film ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’.

Bappi Lahiri passed away at 11:45 pm on Tuesday at a hospital in Mumbai. He was hospitalised for a month due to multiple health issues but was discharged later.

However, on Tuesday, February 15, his health deteriorated and breathed his last the next day. He died due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea).