Known as Iran’s king of song who once called himself the “son of Iran”, he died on Thursday at 80 at Tehran’s Jam Hospital years after suffering from kidney cancer.
His death came as a great shock to his fans and the Iranian music community, a large group of which took to the streets near the hospital to mourn for the maestro.
His son, Humayun, appeared in the crowd in front of the hospital on Thursday night announcing that the funeral prayer for his father would be done in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Cemetery and he would be buried in Tus.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, he said, “I can neither ask you to attend nor not to attend the funeral.”
However, a large number of people attended the funeral prayer in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Cemetery on Friday.
Praying for him was done in Behesht Zahra Cemetery and then his body transferred to Tus, Mashhad.
Together with Shajarian’s family, many hundreds of his fans and cultural officials such as Seyyed Abbas Salehi Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Seyyed Mojtaba Hoseini artistic deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad Allahyari Director of the Music Office, Ali Moradkhani Director of Music Museum of Iran , Hamidreza Nourbakhsh Director of Iran's House of Music and many artists such as Hossein Alizadeh, Darush Pirniyakan, Davood Ganji, Fardin Khalatbari,Tahmores Pournazeri, Vahid Taj and shahram saremi attended in his funeral.
“Shajarian was one of the main role in history of Iranian traditional music and conquered many hearts with his voice” Abbas Salehi said.
Hosein Alizadeh, Darush Pirkanian and Davoud Ganjei were among the speakers who described Maestro Shajarian.
Social media exploded with messages from his fans, colleagues and cultural officials.
In his Instagram post, four-time Grammy Award nominee Kayhan Kalhor wrote, “The soul left the body of song.”
In a video, legendary vocalist Shahram Nazeri sang part of Shajarian’s hit “Morghe Sahar” and said, “Mohammadreza Shajarian is unforgettable, he is eternal and his memory lives on forever.”
On its Twitter, the United Nations office in Tehran, wrote, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Maestro Mohammadreza Shajarian. The UN Iran Family extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Shajarian’s family and fans from Iran and all over the world.”
President Hassan Rouhani also sent a message of condolences.
“The passing of the famous Iranian singer and artist Mohammadreza Shajarian caused a great deal of grief and sorrow,” he said.
“This prominent artistic figure, and creator of the most enduring, pleasant melodies of Iran, and singer of the Rabbana track left a valuable and attractive legacy with his artistic taste and great efforts,” he added.
Foreign Minister Zarif extended his “deep condolences” over the sad departure of Shajarian.
“Maestro Shajarian was a great & true Ambassador of Iran, her children and — most of all — her culture,” Zarif wrote on his Twitter account, adding, “I extend my deepest condolences to Iranians across the world and particularly to his loved ones.
Source: Tehran Times