Samir Yazbek : The Sad Lover

After losing a long battle with illness, the well-known Lebanese singer Samir Yazbek passed away on Monday 21 August 2016. Born in 1939 , Yazbek recorded more than 300 songs, including many hits. Fairouz, perhaps Lebanon's most important cultural icon, has been credited with launching Yazbek's singing career after meeting him in 1961 at a hair salon where he was employed. After working with the Rahbani Brothers for a couple of years, Yazbek continued his musical career with theater giant Romio Lahoud in 1963. He starred in a number of Lahoud's musical plays, cementing his role as a national figure in the Lebanese art scene. Yazbek left Lebanon for Damascus at the start of the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. He found great success and was well liked in Syria, but illness forced him to retire early in the 1990s. Lebanese Culture Minister Raymond Areiji mourned his passing by saying in a statement : " Samir Yazbek had entertained the Lebanese people in their evenings on the screen for many, many years. His melodic voice was a hallmark in our get-togethers and national celebrations".

After losing a long battle with illness, the well-known Lebanese singer Samir Yazbek passed away on Monday 21 August 2016. Born in 1939 , Yazbek recorded more than 300 songs, including many hits. Fairouz, perhaps Lebanon's most important cultural icon, has been credited with launching Yazbek's singing career after meeting him in 1961 at a hair salon where he was employed. After working with the Rahbani Brothers for a couple of years, Yazbek continued his musical career with theater giant Romio Lahoud in 1963. He starred in a number of Lahoud's musical plays, cementing his role as a national figure in the Lebanese art scene.