For the second consecutive day, Fairuz receives condolences for her son

BEIRUT — Lebanese musical icon Fairuz, accompanied by her daughter Rima, received condolences for the passing of her son Ziad Rahbani, who died on Saturday at the age of 69 and was laid to rest on Monday amid a wave of posthumous tributes and a rare nationwide outpouring of emotion.

Among those who came to offer their condolences at the Church of the Dormition in Bikfaya-Mheidetheh was former President Michel Aoun, who praised “the immense legacy the late artist leaves behind, which will be remembered by history.” He added, “We are all on the same path, and we will meet again one day.”

MP Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), also attended. “Ziad spoke on behalf of justice and rejected injustice. He stood against everything that was false, and no one could help but admire his theatre,” he said. Former minister Sleiman Frangieh was also present.

Reflecting Rahbani’s popularity beyond Lebanon’s borders, Qatar’s Minister of Culture, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday at the head of a delegation to personally extend condolences to the Rahbani family. Many artists were also part of the crowd gathered to comfort the family. Among them was renowned Lebanese actor and playwright Georges Khabbaz, who said that artists of his generation are “students of Ziad.”

A day earlier, First Lady Neemat Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Moussawi, and many others attended the final farewell in Bikfaya.

Tribute from Rahbeh, Akkar

In parallel, the town of Rahbeh, where the Rahbani family is from, in the Akkar district, paid tribute to the late musician and composer. The event was organized by the association "Rahbeh Unites Us," in cooperation with the local municipality and scout groups, according to our North Lebanon correspondent.

The tribute took place in the village square near a mural depicting Rahbani, his mother Fairuz, and his father, legendary composer Assi Rahbani. The event concluded with a memorial mass in his honor.

Reporting by our correspondent Michel Hallak.