The much-loved iconic singer was also admired by many for his support of the 2009 Green Movement protests
Tehran, Iran – Mohammad Reza Shajarian, great maestro of traditional Iranian music and the country’s most famous singer, has died after a long period of illness, leaving Iran in mourning
Shajarian, who had been in intensive care at Jam Hospital in Tehran since Monday, died of cardiac arrest aged 80
He was an icon of traditional music and universally loved by Iranians Many of his moving songs have become a staple in Iranian homes, most notably Iran, O House of Hope, which stands for national unity and peace
Born in the holy city of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran, Shajarian first discovered that he had a talent for singing while reciting the Quran
Rabana (or Our Lord), one of his most famous songs, has been a must-listen for decades for people waiting to break their fast on iftar during Ramadan
In a public message in March 2016, he revealed that he had been treated for 15 years in Iran and abroad
The Iranian maestro, or « ostad », has also been admired by many for his support for the Green Movement protests in 2009 against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the presidential elections which many say were rigged
Shajarian, who until then had establishment support, expressed support for the protesters
Like opposition leaders during the protests, Shajarian’s image and voice had been boycotted on Iranian state television and radio since IRIB only showed his image to announce the news of his death on Thursday
In the hours and days leading up to his death, many Shajarian fans gathered outside the hospital to sing his songs together and pray for him Doctors and family members had resorted to putting daily updates this week to counter speculation about his health
After news of Shajarian’s death was confirmed, hundreds more gathered outside the hospital, despite much of Tehran being shut down to counter an alarming increase in the spread of COVID-19
According to Ramin, 28, who arrived at the hospital shortly after the news was confirmed, more than 1,000 people had gathered outside the hospital in the evening
« The streets are closed by the police and there are a lot of people here They sing and chant in unison, » he told Al Jazeera from outside the hospital « After a while some of the chants got political »
Videos posted on social media show that « our IRIB, our shame », « long live Shajarian, long last Iran » and « unity is the way to victory » were some of the slogans chanted by the crowd
Soon after, Homayoun Shajarian, the 45-year-old son of the maestro who is himself a renowned Iranian classical music singer and tombak player, appeared before the crowd to announce that his father’s body would rest. in his hometown of Mashhad
Persian social media immediately began to be flooded with messages of condolences and tributes to the late artist
« Life came out of the body of the song, » Kayhan Kalhor, famous kamancheh player and master of Iranian classical music, wrote on Instagram
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were also among the first to pay tribute to Shajarian
« The grateful Iranian people will certainly keep the name, memory and works of this popular artist alive in their minds forever, » Rohani tweeted, referring to the maestro as one of the most memorable Iranian voices « who left a precious legacy «
Zarif called Shajarian « a great and true ambassador of Iran, her children and – above all – her culture » in a tweet and shared « Morgh-e Sahar », one of the singer’s most popular songs.
Maestro Shajarian was a great ambassador of &, a true ambassador of Iran, of its children and, above all, of its culture
I offer my deepest condolences to Iranians around the world and in particular to his relatives
« They spent billions [of rials] in 10 years to destroy it and it only got more expensive and died with honor Deep respect for whoever stood alongside the people, » tweeted journalist Mohammad Mosaed
Former Reform MP Parvaneh Salahshouri said in a tweet that she hoped Shajarian’s message « lay down your gun » would be heard, referring to a famous line from one of the maestro’s songs
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Shajarian
World news – CA – « Deep respect »: Iranians mourn singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian
