(28 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beirut – 28 July 2025
1. Various of vehicle carrying coffin of Lebanese composer Ziad Rahbani
2. Various of mourners clapping
3. Mourner crying
4. People gathering around vehicle carrying coffin of Rahbani
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ziad Itani, actor:
"I believe that the scale of today’s loss for the entire country is extremely, extremely large—perhaps the most tragic loss for the country in a long time, in decades. But I know very well that usually, artists don’t die. And I think that Ziad will live on very, very much and for generations to come. We feel a loss on a personal level. Each one of us carried a part of Ziad (within us)."
6. Various of mourners clapping
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dina Ghanem, fan:
"Today is definitely a sad day for me. Ziad was an artistic figure, that was comprehensive, unrepeatable, socially and politically engaged. May God have mercy on him and on us after him. Honestly, it’s a huge loss. I can’t describe my feeling, how terrible it feels today."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bikfaya, Lebanon – 28 July 2025
8. Various of mourners carrying coffin
9. Arrival of Lebanon’s diva Fayrouz, one of the Arab world’s most popular singers and the mother of Ziad Rahbani entering the church
10. Mid of priests praying
11. Mourners inside church
12. Various of priests praying and coffin
STORYLINE:
Hundreds in Beirut Monday paid tribute to iconic composer, pianist, and playwright Ziad Rahbani, who will be laid to rest.
His mother Fayrouz, 90, considered one of the most esteemed singers of the Arab world, made a rare public appearance at a church where she received visitors expressing their condolences.
Rahbani, also known as a political provocateur died on Saturday at the age of 69. The reasons of death were not immediately known.
His passing shocked Lebanon and much of the Arab world who appreciated his witty satire, unapologetic political critique, and avante-garde jazz-inspired compositions that mirrored the chaos and contradictions of Lebanon throughout its civil war from 1975 until 1990.
He also composed some of the most famous songs for Fayrouz.
"I believe that the scale of today’s loss for the entire country is extremely, extremely large," said actor Ziad Itani. "We feel a loss on a personal level."
Rahbani, a leftist Greek Orthodox, often mocked the sectarian divisions of Lebanon in his work inspired by his violent environment.
The Rahbani family were a cornerstone in Lebanon’s golden era of music theater that is today steeped in idealism and nostalgia in a troubled country that appears destined to be mired in crisis after crisis.
Top Lebanese political officials and artists paid tribute moments after his death was announced.
Hundreds of people holding roses and photos of Rahbani gathered by the Khoury Hospital near Beirut’s busy Hamra district, solemnly singing some of his most famous tunes and applauding as a black vehicle carrying his body exited the hospital’s garage.
The vehicle made its way to a church in the mountainous town of Bikfaya, before he will be laid to rest in a nearby town in the family cemetery.
His mother, Fayrouz, made a rare public appearance, after spending many years away from the spotlight and the public eye.
Wearing black sunglasses and a black veil, she kindly greeted visitors who came to pay their respects.
She had not been seen since photos surfaced of her meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited her residence in 2020 to award her France’s highest medal of honor.
AP video shot by Fadi Tawil and Mahmmad Aounti
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