Ferdi Tayfur, legendary Turkish singer and actor, has died last night at the age of 79 in Antalya, where he had been hospitalised since 16 December after several years of health problems, which in 2020 led him to receive a kidney transplant donated by his son.
One of the most important figures in Turkish arabesque music, Tayfur was also a leading actor in dozens of Yeşilçam films and also in many Turkish series, and a key composer and singer during the 1970s and 1980s.
Hundreds of the singer’s fans gathered last night in front of the hospital where he was admitted after the news of his death spread, wanting to say their last goodbye – without being able to hold back their tears – to Ferdi Tayfur, who throughout his career stood out not only for starring in films or singing songs that were admired by millions and millions of people, but also for his unique life story: a life in which he had to overcome numerous difficulties to achieve success.
Born on 15 November 1945 in Adana – in the Hürriyet district – as Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt, his father wanted him to receive a good education, but he came from a humble family and when his father was killed when Tayfur was just a child, he had to leave school and start working, barely managing to learn to read while working and later starting to help out on the family farm.
From an early age, however, he developed a special interest and innate talent for music, so during his teenage years he began singing at weddings to earn some money, even participating in a radio contest. In 1967, at the age of 22, he released his first album, Yapıştı Canıma Bir Kara Sevda (A Dark Love Clung to My Heart), which was followed by others, having to sell some of his compositions to other artists due to financial difficulties.
Early successes in arabesque music
His first albums received little attention, and Tayfur had to return to work as a tractor driver in the cotton fields of Adana to earn some money. Still, through perseverance and passion, he continued to release several albums during the 1970s, two or three a year, but it was not until 1976 that his song Çeşme (Fountain), from the album Bırak Şu Gurbeti (Leave that Exile), made him famous. The film he starred in the following year with the same name was seen by more than 12 million viewers.
With the albums he released in successive years, he became one of the great representatives of arabesque music in Turkey, including unforgettable songs such as Emmoğlu, Ben de Özledim (I’ve Missed You Too) or Huzurum Kalmadı (I Have No Peace Left). One of their last non-compilation albums, Prangalar (Shackles, 1992), sold 5 million copies and became one of the best-selling albums in the country’s history. In 1993, more than 200,000 people attended a concert Tayfur gave in Istanbul’s Gülhane Park.
In addition to his role as a musician, composer, producer and singer, Ferdi Tayfur was also famous for his role as an actor in series, but especially in many films of Yeşilçam, the Hollywood of Turkish cinema, for which he also composed soundtracks. As the king of arabesque music – a deeply emotional musical genre – he was also able to capture the emotions and vicissitudes of the lower classes, making him one of the great representatives of the genre alongside other legends such as Orhan Gencebay or Müslüm Gürses. May he rest in peace.
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As a history lover, Pablo Gómez was captivated by Turkey from the first day he visited it in 2006: he got married there, has a house there… and has since become an expert on Turkey’s current affairs. With a long experience in media, he has been at the helm of hispanatolia.com since 2011.
