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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: February 14, 2006 |
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Shoshana Damari, a singer who entertained Israeli civilians and soldiers over six decades, died Tuesday of pneumonia, Israeli media reported. She was 83.
On Friday she was taken to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, and was put on life support as her condition deteriorated. Well-known Israeli singers of past and present gathered at the hospital over the following days, hoping she would recover.
Though she immigrated to Israel with her family from Damar, Yemen, as an infant in 1924, her husky alto featured a distinctive Yemenite pronunciation, adding an ethnic quality to her Hebrew songs.
The diminutive Damari was known for her jet-black hair, piercing dark eyes and powerful, low-pitched voice that seemed to start from her toes, working its way up her tiny body.
She began performing on the radio at the age of 14. She studied singing and acting and began appearing in public in her teens. She made many recordings and performed often before Israeli military units in the field.
Damari was known for her recordings of music composed by Moshe Vilensky. Perhaps her best known song was Vilensky's "Kalaniot," or Anemones. Israeli radios played the song Tuesday in memory of Damari.
In 1988, Damari was awarded Israel's top civilian honor, the Israel Prize, for her contribution to Israeli vocal music. |
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