Abu Dhabi: Egypt’s iconic singer Samir El Eskandarany died on Thursday, at the age of 82, the Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professions said.
The head of the Musicians Syndicate, Hani Shaker, mourned him in a statement saying that the late artist “is one of the artistic icons that presented an artistic heritage that will be preserved for generations to come, and a national patriot, immortalised by the records of the Egyptian intelligence, and throughout his artistic career as he presented dozens of distinct songs.”
El Eskandarany was born in Cairo in 1938 and joined the Faculty of Fine Arts before traveling to Italy on a scholarship.
He was famous for performing patriotic songs, including 'Whoever Said', 'Whoever Live Your Love Knows' and 'Oh Lord of My Country and My Beloved', and he also excelled in singing in several languages.
A large number of artists and musicians took to social media to mourned El Eskandarany, including the actor and director Mohamed Sobhi, who wrote on Facebook, “With all sorrow, I received the news of the death of our friend and fellow artist Samir El Eskandarany, this great patriotic man .. the fox of the Egyptian intelligence against Zionism .. the sophisticated, educated singer of the most wonderful melodies.”