Lebanon Bids Farewell to Ziad Rahbani, Visionary Artist and Cultural Icon

Hundreds gathered in solemn tribute on Monday as the coffin of Ziad Rahbani—renowned Lebanese composer, playwright, and pianist—arrived at the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Bikfaya for his funeral. His body was transported from Beirut’s Hamra district, where an emotional crowd outside Khoury Hospital had earlier sent him off with a chorus of songs he had written, heartfelt applause, tears, and showers of flowers.

Although no official day of national mourning was declared, the magnitude of Rahbani’s influence was reflected in the presence of high-profile figures, including First Lady Nehmat Aoun, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab, and Randa Berri, wife of Speaker Nabih Berri, who offered condolences to his mother, legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz.

The funeral service commenced at noon, with burial scheduled for 4:00 p.m., marking the end of a chapter for one of Lebanon’s most provocative and beloved cultural figures.

An Artist Who Defined an Era

Ziad Rahbani passed away Saturday at the age of 69, bringing to a close a storied career that profoundly reshaped Lebanese music, theater, and political commentary. The son of Fairuz and the late composer Assi Rahbani, Ziad inherited a towering legacy—and reshaped it in his own image. With fearless wit and deep political awareness, he became a cultural force whose satirical works mirrored Lebanon’s shifting landscape.

Known for his biting critique of power structures and his outspoken leftist views, Rahbani’s influence extended far beyond national borders. His unique voice and rebellious spirit found resonance across the Arab world, where his work was revered for both its artistry and its social insight.

One of his most celebrated plays, “Film Ameriki Tawil” (“The American Motion Picture”), used an asylum as a metaphor for Lebanon’s war-torn reality, casting characters that symbolized different sects and ideologies to reflect the country’s fragmentation during the civil war.

His early works were eerily prescient, predicting Lebanon’s descent into conflict before the war officially broke out in 1975, and his later works chronicled the war’s destruction and the nation’s long struggle with political and economic dysfunction.

A Reluctant Goodbye

According to Culture Minister Ghassan Salame, Rahbani had refused a liver transplant in the final stages of his illness. “We dreaded this day,” Salame wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “as we knew his health was deteriorating and that he no longer wished to seek treatment.”

The final days of Rahbani’s life seemed to echo the introspective melancholy of his music and prose—full of truth, resistance, and resignation.

Paying tribute, President Joseph Aoun described Rahbani as “a voice that rebelled against injustice, an honest mirror for the oppressed and marginalized.” His loss, the president added, was not just artistic, but moral—a loss of conscience in public life.

Beyond Legacy: A Cultural Conscience

While his mother Fairuz was and remains a unifying national figure—transcending the country’s sectarian boundaries—Ziad charted his own course. He was unapologetically secular, deeply leftist, and a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause. Yet, paradoxically, his appeal often cut across political and religious divides.

In 2018, Rahbani returned to the spotlight with a performance at the Beiteddine Festival, showcasing decades of musical collaboration between himself and his iconic family. It would become one of his final major public appearances.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam honored Rahbani’s legacy as one of Lebanon’s most “exceptional creatives,” praising his unwavering dedication to justice and truth. “He said what many didn’t dare to say,” Salam reflected.

Actress Carmen Lebbos, Rahbani’s former partner, expressed her grief in a poignant message on social media: “I feel like everything has gone. I feel like Lebanon has become empty.”

Echoing the sentiment, journalist Doha Shams, a longtime friend, told AFP: “Ziad was our conscience—he understood Lebanon better than anyone else and knew exactly where we were heading.”

Ziad Rahbani’s passing leaves behind not only a legacy of groundbreaking art, but also a void in the national psyche. His fearless satire, political convictions, and musical innovation made him a voice of resistance—and a mirror to a fractured society. As Lebanon grapples with ongoing uncertainty, the echoes of Rahbani’s work will undoubtedly continue to inspire, provoke, and illuminate.