Ziad Rahbani, a treasured Lebanese composer and musician, has reportedly died. He was 69.
According to a statement from the hospital where Ziad was being treated in Beirut, which was obtained by the Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour, he died of a heart attack on Saturday, July 26.
“Saturday at 9:00 a.m., the heart of the great artist and creator Ziad Rahbani stopped beating,” the statement read, per the outlet.
The Lebanese Minister of Culture, Dr. Ghassan Salame, said in a post on X that the late musician — who is the son of artists Fairuz and the late Assi Rahbani — had begun to reject treatment for his deteriorating health before his death.
“We dreaded this day because we knew his health was deteriorating and his desire for treatment was dwindling,” Salame wrote. “Plans to treat him in Lebanon or abroad had become mere outdated ideas because Ziad no longer had the ability to imagine the treatment and the surgeries it would require … We will mourn him while singing his songs that will never die.”
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Ziad Rahbani in 2001
Ziad is one of the most celebrated figures in Lebanese music. His career began in the early 1970s with his debut play Sahriyé, which was followed by several plays that highlighted the social and political issues in Lebanese society, such as A Long American Film and Bemma Inno, per Khalee J Times.
Ziad was encouraged to develop his own artistic interests from an early age by his father, composer Assi, who died in 1986. He composed his first song Sa’alouni El Nass for his mother Fairuz in 1973 at the age of 17, as well as the timeless songs “Kifak Inta” and “Bala Wala Shi,” per Khalee J Times.
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Ziad Rahbani in 2004
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a translated tribute on X: “Ziad Rahbani was not just an artist; he was a complete intellectual and cultural phenomenon. More than that, he was a living conscience, a defiant voice against injustice, and a true mirror for the oppressed and marginalised. He gave voice to people’s pain and played on the strings of truth without hesitation.”
“Through his committed theater and his music overflowing with creativity, oscillating between classical, jazz, and oriental music, he offered a unique artistic vision, opening new windows to Lebanese cultural expression, brilliantly achieving universality,” he added.
PEOPLE has reached out to Rahbani’s representatives for comment.
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