Georges Moustaki

Georges Moustaki was an Egyptian-French singer-songwriter of Jewish Italo-Greek origin. He wrote about 300 songs for some of the most popular singers in France, including Édith Piaf, Dalida, Françoise Hardy, Yves Montand, Barbara, Brigitte Fontaine, Herbert Pagani, France Gall, Cindy Daniel, Juliette Gréco, Pia Colombo, and Tino Rossi, as well as for himself. He also performed his own songs, often accompanied by a guitar or a piano. He was influenced by various musical genres, such as French chanson, Brazilian bossa nova, Greek and Arab music, as well as jazz and folk. He was known for his distinctive voice and his poetic lyrics, often dealing with themes such as love, freedom, nostalgia, and multiculturalism. He was also an artist, a writer, and an actor, appearing in several films and plays. He was a cosmopolitan figure who lived in different countries and spoke several languages. He was a supporter of peace, human rights, and ecology, and participated in many concerts and campaigns for various causes. He died in 2013 at the age of 79 from emphysema, a lung disease. He was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where many other famous artists are laid to rest.