Slain singer's personal life hit several sour notes

Dubai: When Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim first appeared on Studio Al Fan, a talent quest show on LBC TV, in 1996, she turned heads with her beauty and talent.

Suzan emerged as a winner, and it was expected that she would shoot to stardom in no time.

Sadly, the singer did make it to stardom, but for reasons other than her singing abilities. She only sang a few songs and played a role in a musical play titled Ghadat Al Kamilia by musician Elias Rahbani, before her life ended tragically on Monday.

Suzan spent most of her short life between courts, police stations and hideouts. Her problems started with a long and unexplained absence that she spent in France, even before her first short marriage to Ali Muzannar and their divorce in 2002.

Shortly after her divorce, Suzan met the man who would become her second husband, Adel Matouk. She was introduced to Matouk by star maker Simone Asmar, director of Studio Al Fan who asked Matouk to take care of her.

Matouk took care of Suzan's ten-year contract with Asmar, and started an extensive campaign to re-launch her music career with his company, Arab-European Production. He also signed a 15-year exclusive contract with the singer.

Less than eight months later, problems evolved between the couple.

Matouk asked his wife to stop singing, which she refused. He obtained a court order banning her from travelling outside Lebanon.

Things did not end there. Suzan was accused of stealing $230,000 from her husband's safe, and sentenced to two years in jail. Matouk later accused her of plotting to kill him after he was shot and injured in 2005.

She, in turn, claimed that her marriage to him was not legal. She said she was not officially divorced from her first husband, but the court ruled otherwise.

Suzan did not serve time in jail.

She disappeared for many months, only to be found dead on Monday night.