The death of Lebanon's legendary singer Sabah Wednesday drew eulogies from Lebanese officials who waxed nostalgic for Lebanon’s prewar golden age that was illustrated in Sabah’s rich music repertoire.
“Lebanon and the Arab world lost a valuable artist with the demise of the great diva Sabah, whose departure from this world turned a page on our bright cultural heritage,” Prime Minister Tammam Salam said in a statement.
Salam lauded the deceased singer for “bringing happiness to millions of people over several decades” through her songs, which were highly popular in Lebanon and across the Arab world.
The Future Movement chief, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, tweeted, “May God’s mercy be on the [soul] of the shahroura [singing bird] of Lebanon and all the Arabs.”
MP Walid Jumblatt also commented on Sabah’s death, saying “With her passing away, an entire beautiful past of Lebanon has gone.”
“She was a great singer of a Lebanon that my generation knew that will never come back,” Jumblatt tweeted.
Former President Michel Sleiman hailed Sabah's long cultural journey during which she carried Lebanon's national and humanitarian values to different parts of the world.
Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said Sabah would be officially honored for her big part in boosting and propagating Lebanese music and folklore across the Arab world.
Sabah passed away early Wednesday morning at the age of 87. She is survived by a son and a daughter from two of her nine marriages.
