Arik Einstein, widely considered one of the greatest singers
in Israel's history, died Tuesday evening at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel
Aviv.
Einstein, 74, was evacuated from his home in critical
condition at around 7 pm due to an aortic aneurysm. He was rushed to the
emergency room, where he underwent a series of tests while being anaesthetized
and given artificial respiration. He was later taken into the operating room,
where doctors attempted to fight for his life but were forced to pronounce him
dead.
"The condition he arrived in made it impossible to save
him," Dr. Gabriel Barbash, the hospital's director general, told
reporters. "There will be no one to sing for us anymore," he added.
"The songs he composed and sang are the soundtrack for
Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "With
much sadness Israel parts with a cultural giant."
President Shimon Peres said that Einstein's songs are the
soundtrack of an entire nation; his voice was holding the people and embracing
the land… I loved his songs from an early age. Though he's gone, his songs will
continue to play life and hope."
Dr. Moti Mashiach, a friend of Einstein, said earliel:
"Next month he will be 75 years old. His father died of a heart attack at
61. He has been smoking for many years, so he had the risk factors."
Einstein, who was born in Tel Aviv, served in the Nahal
troops' entertainment group as part of his military service. Upon his release
from the IDF, he began performing in the theater and joined the Green Onion
band.
His first recordings were released in 1960. In 1964, he
joined Yehoram Gaon and Benny Amdursky in the Yarkon Bridge Trio.
Einstein's first album, "Shar Bishvilech"
("Singing for You"), was released in 1966. The first successful rock
band he was part of was The High Windows with then-couple Shmulik Kraus and
Josie Katz. The hits from their album are considered Israeli rock classics.
In between, he formed the Lool (Chicken Coop) comedy troupe.
Einstein's rock period ended in 1973, when he released the
album "Eretz Yisrael Hayeshana Vehatova" ("Good Old Land of
Israel"). His next important album was a soundtrack for the film "Sus
Etz" ("Wooden Horse") in 1978.
In 1982, Einstein teamed up with guitarist and composer
Itzhak Klepter and the two released the album "Yoshev Al Hagader"
("Sitting on the Fence"). Shortly afterwards, Einstein was seriously
injured in a road accident, an incident which was reflected in the name and
style of his next album, "Shavir" ("Fragile"). Since the
accident he did not perform before an audience.
In the 1990s, Einstein's career slowed down and the
popularity of his new material was not automatic as it was in the past. His
decision to withdraw from society and stay close only to his family and
friends, and his refusal to perform, made the public lose interest in his new
records and cherish his older work, which became inalienable assets in the
Israeli world of music.
In recent years, Einstein preferred to shut himself up in
his home, although he was occasionally spotted at matches of his favorite
soccer team, Hapoel Tel Aviv.
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