Lebanon mourned musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, son of iconic singer Fairuz and a musical pioneer in his own right, who died on Saturday aged 69 after a decades-long career that revolutionised the country’s artistic scene.
Tributes poured in for Rahbani, also a playwright and considered the enfant terrible of Lebanese music, who left a huge mark on multiple generations with his often satirical plays and songs that for many reflected a deep understanding of Lebanon’s political and economic reality.
“On Saturday at 9:00 am (0600 GMT), the heart of the great artist and creator Ziad Rahbani stopped beating,” said a statement from the Beirut hospital where he was being treated.
He had suffered ill-health in recent years that also impacted his artistic activity.
His funeral is to be held on Monday at 4:00 pm at a church in Bikfaya outside Beirut, according to a notice from the family.
Rebellious and visionary, Rahbani’s work foreshadowed Lebanon’s civil war before it erupted in 1975, and later reflected the conflict and the harsh realities of the ensuing economic crisis.
His fame extended to the rest of the Arab world and beyond.
One of his most famous theatre pieces, “Film Ameriki Tawil”, or “The American Motion Picture”, was a satirical depiction of Lebanon during the civil war, set in an asylum populated with characters who represented different facets of society.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement that Rahbani was “a voice that rebelled against injustice, an honest mirror for the oppressed and marginalised”.
Culture Minister Ghassan Salame wrote on X that “we dreaded this day as we knew his health was worsening and that his desire for treatment was dwindling”.
– ‘Our conscience’ –
Rahbani was the son of Arab musical icon Fairuz, who turned 90 last year, and the late Lebanese composer Assi Rahbani, who along with his brother Mansour modernised Arab music by blending Western, Russian and Latin American sounds with Eastern rhythms.
Already adored by older generations, Fairuz became a youth idol when her son began composing jazz-influenced songs for her, calling the result “Oriental jazz”.
While Fairuz transcended Lebanon’s deep sectarian divides, her son was fiercely left-wing, secular and a supporter of the Palestinian cause — but was also beloved by many on the opposite side of the political spectrum.
He spent his life decrying the divisions that brought ruin upon his country.
In 2018, he performed at Lebanon’s annual Beiteddine festival with a musical showcase of his and his family’s decades of work — one of his last major onstage appearances.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said “Lebanon has lost an exceptional artist and creative, a free voice who stayed faithful to the values of justice and dignity”, and who said “what many don’t dare to say”.
Lebanese actress Carmen Lebbos, his former partner, wrote on X: “I feel like everything has gone. I feel like Lebanon has become empty.”
Lebanese journalist Doha Shams, who knew Rahbani for three decades, told AFP that “Ziad was our conscience, the conscience of Lebanese society, and the person who understood Lebanese society the most — and knew where it was going”.
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© Agence France-Presse
