Demis Roussos was born in Alexandria on June 15, 1946. His death was announced in a brief statement by Ygeia Hospital, where he was being treated with an undisclosed illness. His funeral is to take place on Friday at the First Cemetery of Athens, following a public liturgy.
The Egyptian-born pop star sold about 60 million records worldwide. The boy who relocated in Greece at age 15 in 1961 in the middle of the Suez Canal crisis, met with stardom in the ’70s after founding the band Aphrodite’s Child, with fellow Greek composer Vangelis Papathanasiou.
During his eventful years of fame, he was even briefly held hostage by Lebanese militants in 1985 when he was aboard a hijacked plane in Greece. The hijackers threw a party when they realised he was on board. His career took off when he went solo, though, while his hits Forever And Ever, Mr Reason, Goodbye My Love, Goodbye and Quand je t’aime, sold millions of copies.
The musician, known as the Kaftan King, he was also famous for his iconic kimono style dresses, apart from his extremely high-pitched singing abilities and folklore Greek-inspired melodies.
“He had a superb voice, he traveled in the world … he loved what he was doing,” Nana Mouskouri told French radio RTL.
“He was an artist, a friend. I hope he is in a better world.”