Raï loses Rachid Taha at 59

CAIRO - 12 September 2018: Algerian Raï music legend, Rachid Taha, died on September 11 night due to a heart attack in his Parisian home.

Algerian sources have confirmed that the artist died in his sleep in Paris. Taha is the founder of French Arabic rock band Carte De Séjour. He grew up in Lyonn, France and began a career in the the Raï music style.

His music received international recognition. “Ya Rayah,” one of his most internationally popular works, has received huge popularity until this day, as it discusses a universal issue like homesickness. Barbes, Olé Olé, Made in Medina and Diwan are among Rachid’s hit albums through which he painted new lines in Raï music by adding bits and pieces of rock to his art, as well as Rock N Raï.

1,2,3 Soleils was a live album released by Taha, Cheb Khaled and Faudel Belloua in 1998 in a live concert held in lais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The concert consisted of the most famous from all three artists plus a few Algerian classics.

Social media platforms have been mourning the loss of the Algerian-French legend, including Lebanese artist Elissa, who wrote a tweet about the late artist. It was expected that Taha was to release an album in 2019.