Israeli singer Arik Einstein, 74
Arik Einstein, an iconic Israeli singer as well as a songwriter and actor, has died.
Einstein died Nov. 26 at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, where he was rushed after suffering an aortic aneurysm. He was 74.
Israeli television stations halted regular programming to broadcast clips and remembrances of the singer, whose first recordings were released in the 1960s. Einstein is often considered the leading figure in what became contemporary Israeli music, bridging the gap in the ’60s between the country’s earlier folk music and rock ’n’ roll.
Fans holding a vigil outside the hospital cried when the hospital’s director general, Dr. Gabriel Barabash, came out to announce that Einstein had died.
Einstein has not performed for an audience since the early 1980s, when he was seriously injured in a road accident.
His first album, “Shar Bisvilech” (“Singing for You”), was released in 1966. He was part of the rock band The High Windows with Shmulik Kraus and Israeli-American Josie Katz. He also formed the Lool, or Chicken Coop, comedy troupe, and acted in a number of light comedic films.
Among his more well-known songs were “Ani Ve’ata” (“You and Me”) and “Sa Le’at” (“Drive Slowly”). — jta