Heartbreak repeated: Egyptian singer Ismail El Laithy killed in car crash after year of mourning son

Dubai: A 36-year-old Egyptian singer who had spent the past year grieving the death of his young son died this week from injuries sustained in a car crash, local media reported. 

Ismail El Laithy, a popular shaabi performer, was involved in a severe traffic collision a week ago specifically on Thursday in the Minya governorate as he returned from performing at a wedding in Assiut.

He was rushed to Mallawi General Hospital in critical condition, suffering a skull fracture, internal bleeding beneath the brain membrane, multiple rib fractures, lung damage and extensive head and chest trauma. Despite attempts by the medical team to stabilize him, he died on Monday.

His death followed months of visible grief over the loss of his 5-year-old son, who fell from the family’s 10th-floor balcony last year. The boy’s death devastated the singer, who had spoken openly about his heartbreak in the months that followed. 

In one widely shared video, he said, “I want, when I die, to see my son who left me,” a line that many fans have been reposting in mourning.

Local media reported that a large crowd gathered in Imbaba, his hometown in Giza, for his funeral on Tuesday, describing the scene as “painful” and marked by collective shock. 

His wife collapsed upon receiving news of his death, saying: “My son died last year, and today my husband is gone… We belong to God, and to Him we return.”

Egyptian authorities have since arrested El Laithy’s driver after toxicology tests came back positive for narcotics.

Police said the crash occurred when the vehicle carrying the singer and members of his band collided with another car on the Assiut-Minya road. 

Three people were killed and seven injured in the accident.

A medical source said El-Laithy arrived at the hospital unconscious and was placed on a ventilator due to respiratory failure.

Doctors attempted to reduce the brain hemorrhage with medication, but the damage was irreversible.

Friends, fellow artists and fans flooded social media with tributes. “My heart is broken,” wrote singer Reda El-Bahrawy. “Ismail was one of the kindest people I knew. May God have mercy on him.” Actor Tamer Hosny and singer Hamada Helal also offered condolences, while festivals artist “Kazbara” and others urged fans to pray for him.

Adding to the tragedy, El Laithy’s mother revealed that just an hour before the crash, he told her he had dreamt of his late son hugging him.