Singer Yishai Levy, one of the leading figures in Israeli Mediterranean music, passed away this morning (Sunday) at the age of 63. Details regarding his funeral have not yet been released.
His family issued a statement saying: “With unimaginable pain, we announce the passing of Yishai Levy last night. We will provide an orderly update regarding the time and location of the funeral later today. There are no words at this moment."
Levy is survived by his wife, four children, and grandchildren.
Over the weekend, Levy was hospitalized in serious condition. After reports and rumors about his health circulated, his family said on Saturday night: “We want to thank everyone for their great concern and ask that the rumor mill be toned down."
Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar paid tribute to the singer in a post on X, writing: “Yishai was among the pioneers of Mediterranean music in Israel and one of the great and moving voices in Israeli music. He was an artist who managed to touch the hearts of entire generations and become an inseparable part of the soundtrack of the State of Israel. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and many fans. May his memory be blessed."
In 2005, Levy was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Six years later, he was hospitalized due to complications from pneumonia that endangered his life, after which he stopped smoking.
During a career that began in the mid-1980s, Levy released more than 20 albums. In 1984, he released his debut album, Hafla Im Ben-Mosh, followed in 1986 by his second album, Hineh Ba Hayom, which included the successful song Ra’ya.
In 1989, he released the album Lehatchil MeBereshit (“Starting from the Beginning"), which featured the hit song Rakdi (“Dance").
Levy returned to musical activity in 2008 with the album Rikud Romanti (“Romantic Dance"). In 2010, he released the song HaAchat Sheli (“My One and Only"), which achieved success on the music charts and later became the title track of the album he released in 2011.