A fixture of the rebetiko scene in Melbourne, Costa Cosmas could be found at Greek functions with his signature peaked fur hat, plucking his baglama.
“He gave me my first baglama and a good deal of sage advice,” Dean Kalimniou said. “Now he has gone to meet his son Hector, of whom he was immensely proud and whose loss he bore stoically. Rest In Peace Costa. You were and always will be a giant among men.”
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A message on Twitter by his daughter Sophia in September indicated what he was going through: