Tehran, SAEDNEWS Oct. 10: The Persian classical music singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian, a towering figure to Iranians for his artistry and his cultural activities died on Thursday in Tehran. He was 80 and had battled kidney cancer for more than a decade.
His son Homayoun Shajarian, also a classical singer, announced the news on his Instagram page with one line that captured the singular place Mr. Shajarian held in the hearts of Iranians, as well as his humility: “The dust beneath the feet of the people flew home to meet his true love.”
Mr. Shajarian’s appeal crossed generations and political factions, and the news of his death spurred an outpouring of grief from Iranians the world over. In Tehran, thousands of fans packed the streets outside the hospital where he died — people of all ages, wearing masks because of the pandemic, weeping openly and singing some of his most famous songs, derived from Persian poetry and cloaked in political metaphor.
“Bird of freedom sing for me, renew my grief,” the crowd sang in unison. “Oh God, oh sky, oh nature, turn our night of darkness into dawn.”
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