In Memoriam | Ferdi Tayfur ( 1945 -2025)

Ferdi Tayfur, one of the most important representatives of Arabesque music, has passed away at the age of 79. The artist, who left a deep mark on the music world with his songs and on Turkish cinema with the films he starred in, has left the art world in mourning.

Ferdi Tayfur who was receiving treatment in Antalya, passed away. Tayfur, who left his mark in both music and cinema.The hospital announced that Ferdi Tayfur was brought to the hospital on December 16 by military aircraft, underwent surgery to clean his sinuses due to a fungal infection that had previously occurred, and that his health condition improved after the surgery. The same statement included the following statements:

“Ferdi Tayfur was admitted to intensive care yesterday afternoon due to rapidly progressing liver and kidney failure. Despite his ongoing treatment in intensive care and the efforts of the doctors, he lost his life at 19:38 this evening.”

A ceremony will be held for Ferdi Tayfur at AKM on Saturday at 12:00. The artist will be taken from Emirgan Çınaraltı Mosque after the afternoon prayer after the ceremony at AKM and will be buried in Yeniköy Cemetery.

The Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy will attend the funeral and released a condolence message after the sad news:

"Our hearts are burning even more!

I learned with deep sorrow that Ferdi Tayfur, the owner of immortal works such as "İçim Yanar", "Bana Sor" and "Hatıran Yeter", has passed away.

Our art world lost a very exceptional name today.

The great master, who expressed the feelings of millions with his works, will now live in our hearts; he will accompany us in our pains and joys.

I wish God's mercy upon him and my condolences to his family, loved ones and the entire art community.

May he rest in peace."

Pictured: A 1980 Turkish film of Ferdi Tayfur written and directed by Natuk Baytan

There are 34 films (1976-2016) by Ferdi Tayfur. Standing out as one of the best arabesque singers in Turkey, Ferdi Tayfur also draws attention with many of his films. Especially the films based on his songs have become classics of Yeşilçam. However, he left behind unforgettable productions. 

Recently, the song "İçim Yanar" sung by Ferdi Tayfur went viral along with the TV series Gassal starring Ahmet Kural.

Mavi Boncuk |

Ferdi Tayfur born Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt; (15 November 1945 – 2 January 2025) was a Turkish singer, actor, director, songwriter and screenwriter. He was born in the Hürriyet neighbourhood of Adana and led a successful career in Arabesque music. 

At the age of 16, he set off for Istanbul with the dream of becoming a singer. When he could not find what he expected, he returned to Adana and continued farming. 

In 1968, Tayfur came back to Istanbul [1] and signed a two-record deal with Seda Plak. The artist, who produced unforgettable songs such as ‘Gönül Yorgunu’, ‘Emmoğlu’, ‘Çeşme’, ‘Merak Etme Sen’, ‘Ben de Özledim’, ‘Huzurum Kalmadı’ in his music career, won 9 Golden Record awards.The artist, who earned nine golden certifications in total, was renowned for his songs, which he included in motion pictures as well. In the Turkish media, he was commonly known as "Ferdi Baba". Having released more than 30 albums and over 30 films, he founded Ferdifon Records in 1982 and also entered the construction sector in 2009.

[1] Tayfur made deals with Seda Plak in 1968 to release two records, but the recordings were not well received. He then went back to Adana to work on the farm. As well, he continued to work on his music career. After a three-year break he released his new record, Huzurum Kalmadı. In 1973, he released Kır Çiçekleri under the label Görsev Plak. In 1974, he released another record Bana Gerçekleri Söyle. In 1975, he signed a new contract with Elenor Plak. After the release of Bırak Şu Gurbeti, he became widely known with the release of his song Çeşme.

Tayfur's first album, which included songs written by himself, made a good sale in the years when he started his musical career but due to financial difficulties, he sold two songs to Elenor Plak's proprietor Atilla Alpsakarya who eventually gave them to Gülden Karaböcek. Tayfur continued to publish his records and eventually became widely known with his song "Çeşme", and in 1977 he was cast in a leading role alongside Necla Nazır in a movie with the same title. The film was watched by 12 million people at the time.