Ferdi Tayfur passed away – BBC News Turkish

Ferdi Tayfur passed away at the age of 79.

The famous arabesque Music artist fell ill at his home in Marmaris on December 15 and was hospitalized and taken to intensive care.

Ferdi Tayfur, who was taken to Antalya by ambulance plane the next day, had surgery there.

Speaking after the surgery, his niece and press advisor Şirin Gözalıcı said that the artist was conscious.

Tayfur had undergone a vascular operation and a kidney transplant in previous years.

Haluk Çobanoğlu, the creator of the documentary-photography book Arabesque, which was published in 2007 and is the product of a nine-year work, said: BBC TurkishHe commented to: “Ferdi Tayfur was one of the two fathers of arabesque music.”

“While Orhan Gencebay's music was considered more philosophical, Ferdi Tayfur had a more 'common' audience. But I find some of his pieces very important.

“Emmioğlu, where the issue of migration is discussed, is very interesting. It is a warning sign to others of an individual who came to the city with great enthusiasm, but has lost his spirit and is about to lose his identity, saying 'Let's go back to our village.'

“Orhan Gencebay has always been known as the father of arabesque music, in that respect Ferdi Tayfur's situation is in the shadows, but this does not reduce his value in the eyes of his fans.

“Although he was not a figure who established a unique musical genre on his own, he was one of the two fathers of arabesque.”

Stating that arabesque music gained a very decisive effect with the migration from Anatolia to big cities and abroad, Çobanoğlu said, “Arabesque is the identity photo of a geography that is stuck between the Middle East and the West and does not know where to go.”

Çobanoğlu reminded that the popularity of arabesque music has increased exponentially today and that it is one of the most listened to music genres on Spotify.

Music writer, critic and radio programmer Naim Dilmener, BBC TurkishIn his statement to , he said, “As you know, 'arabesque' as an adjective is used in a bad sense. Like 'Oh, it's so arabesque'… For this reason, I divide arabesque into bad arabesque and good arabesque.”

Stating that Tayfur is “one of the leading names” of good arabesque, Dilmener continued his words as follows:

“There are two great names that lead good arabesque; Orhan Gencebay and Ferdi Tayfur. They have been compared since the 70s to see which one is better.

“Orhan Gencebay's arabesque conforms more to the standards of Arabic music. He is good, he sings very well, he sings well despite his limited voice, but he follows the footsteps of Arabic music; both in terms of instrument structure and melody.

“Ferdi Tayfur, of course, made pure arabesques, but his compositions were closer to the folk song form. For this reason, if you ask me, Ferdi Tayfur was more from here, from these lands.”

Music writer and critic Murat Meriç BBC TurkishHe told , that he discovered Ferdi Tayfur at a concert he watched by chance in 1985, and that from that day on, the artist became the “greatest” of arabesque for him.

Stating that Tayfur “opened a unique line in arabesque and progressed from there”, Meriç continued his words as follows:

“Dozens of his hit songs, ranging from 'Çeşme' to 'Fadime's Wedding', from 'Emmioğlu' to 'Merak Olma Sen', left a mark on the ears of even those who do not like arabesque.

“He wasn't 'Brother' or 'Dad', he was himself; that's why he was always called Ferdi. His loved ones embraced him with everything because, despite his fame, he was always one of us.”

According to Meriç, Tayfur was also “the voice of expats”.

“Those who lived far from their hometown and missed their homes and villages put their troubles and longings on Ferdi Tayfur's songs and filled his concerts. The 'Germany Train', which gave its name to one of his songs, always carried his voice, his instrument and his words in its wagons: From abroad to home or from home to abroad.”

Stating that Tayfur keeps the pulse of the audience very well in his concerts and integrates with them, Meriç said, “Those who have watched him will take their hats off to his greatness.”

In her evaluation, music writer and editor Derya Bengi drew attention to the political developments that took place in Turkey while Ferdi Tayfur was progressing in his career:

“He stood out in the middle of the political turmoil in the second half of the 70s. He had no weapons other than his burning voice and his 'ooof's'. The song 'Yadeller' represents this early period well: He would just huff for almost a minute and finally say 'yet oof'.” He breaks into the song, exhausted…

“It is unknown whether 1983's 'Sen de Leyla' is an ordinary love song or a protest against the type of people who transformed, turned around and lost their values ​​after September 12.”

BBC TurkishIn his statement to , Bengi stated that perhaps Tayfur's most interesting years were the 1990s and explained the reason for this as follows:

“Because in this period, he not only strengthened his place in the crowd of young stars such as Mahsun Kırmızıgül and Özcan Deniz with pieces such as 'Emmioğlu' and 'Fadime's Wedding', but also added a distinct maturity to arabesque.”

Following the news of Ferdi Tayfur's death, condolence messages came one after another from artists and politicians.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on the X platform: “Our hearts are burning even more!” he said.

Zeydan Karalar, the current Mayor of Adana, where Ferdi Tayfur was born and became famous, said in his condolence message, “I learned with deep sadness the death of Ferdi Tayfur, the great value of our Adana and the legendary name of the music world.”

Singer Mahsun Kırmızıgül said in his post on X, “I feel like I've lost a piece of my childhood.”

Kırmızıgül said, “He was not just an artist, he was the voice of our troubles and the interpreter of our hopes.” He addressed Tayfur with the words, “We will never forget you and the traces you left. You are gone, but your voice and works will always live with us.”

The composer, songwriter, singer and film actor whose full name is Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt was born in Adana in 1945.

Ferdi Tayfur, who participated in Adana Radio's music competition while singing in wedding halls in his youth, made a name for himself after coming second and started working at the Lunapark Casino in Istanbul.

Ferdi Tayfur, who has released many albums since the 1960s, increased his fame with his song Çeşme in 1975.

The movie he starred in, which was released the following year with the same name, was watched by 12 million.

His album Prangalar, released in 1992, reached five million sales and became one of the best-selling albums in Turkey.

In 1993, 200 thousand people attended his concert in Gülhane Park in Istanbul.

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