Obituary
Iran’s Most Revered Singer Dies, Drawing Thousands on to Streets
- Mohammad Reza Shajarian had suffered from kidney cancer
- He ran foul of officials for backing 2009 election protests
A fan of Iranian musician Mohammad Reza Shajarian displays his picture on her phone as people gather outside the hospital where he died, in Tehran, on Oct. 8.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
Iran’s most revered classical musician, vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian, has died at age 80, after a career that helped define Iranian culture but was stifled by conservative ideologues once he backed protests a decade ago.
His death from kidney cancer will be felt by millions of Iranians and Persian-speakers throughout the world for whom he symbolized their rich literary and musical heritage. Crowds flocked to the hospital where he was treated in Tehran, many wearing masks as the country fights a spiraling outbreak of coronavirus.