Restauranteur dies from heart attack
7:00pm Sunday 20th January 2008
Comments (9)A RESTAURANT owner who served what was billed as the world's hottest curry has died from a heart attack.
Abdul Latif, 52, offered his famous hot curry - dubbed Curry Hell - free to any diner who could finish it at his Newcastle restaurant.
Mr Latif became a lord of the manor after buying the title of the Lord of Harpole for £5,000.
He died at his home in Gosforth, Newcastle, in the early hours of this morning.
A colleague at his restaurant Curry Capital, who did not want to be named, said: ''He was a very nice man. All the people loved him, he will be very much missed.'' Mr Latif's restaurant, which used to be called Rupali, enjoyed a high profile in recent years.
It featured in the North-East based cult comic Viz and is in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's longest-distance curry delivery - from Newcastle to Sydney.
Bangladeshi-born Mr Latif offered free curries for life to England rugby star Jonny Wilkinson and former Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness.
In 2003, he offered free meals for five years to all British servicemen and women who served in Iraq.
Your Say YourThe Northern Echo
Bram, Darlington says...
11:59pm Sun 20 Jan 08
Simon Smedley, Dubai says...
12:39am Mon 21 Jan 08
Amjed Yasin, Newcastle says...
8:47am Mon 21 Jan 08
Rashid Mahmood Adils Restaurant, Birmingham says...
10:38am Mon 21 Jan 08
May i say that he was an absolute gentleman, Very Kind , Hospitable, Generous and friendly.
My sincere sympathies goe to Mr Latif's family and friends , what a sad loss of a genuine person
RGS EAW, Gosforth says...
11:48am Mon 21 Jan 08
He may have gone to the great curry house in the sky but he will always be remembered by those of us he refered to as "his babies" (which was a little bit odd to be honest)
Wilf Flynn, Jarrow says...
1:54am Tue 22 Jan 08
Like many I started having curries at the Rupali when he opened in 1977.
Abdul set such a standard I found it hard to enjoy a curry elsewhere.
Not only was the food tremendous his conversation & generousity new no bounds.
Always pleasant, always talking the issue of the day, always asking how you and family were, never overbearing.
From a 24yr old in 1977 all milestones of my life have been in the Rupali and the company of Abdul his staff and sometimes his family.
A genuine man sadly missed by many.
stevie Glover, newcastle says...
11:33am Tue 22 Jan 08
RGS EAW wrote:May we use this in our obit of The Lord in the next issue of the comic? please email viz@viz.co.uk Cheers, Stevie Glover
End of an era. Our annual Christmas Curry on the 23rd December (table for 57 booked every year till 2012) will never be the same without the Lord telling us to be quiet, charging us too much for our beers and then letting us do a conga through the kitchen.
He may have gone to the great curry house in the sky but he will always be remembered by those of us he refered to as "his babies" (which was a little bit odd to be honest)
Vicky Hawkins, Newcastle says...
3:13pm Tue 1 Apr 08
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Stevie Parker, Gosforth, Newcastle says...
8:40pm Sun 20 Jan 08