Greek singer Demis Roussos died Sunday at the age of 68 from an undisclosed illness at an Athens hospital.
Roussos was born to a Greek family in Alexandria, Egypt in 1945. He moved to Greece after his father decided to relocate the family in 1961 following the fallout of the Suez crisis.
He started as a cabaret musician and later became a star in England and Europe with the solo hits Forever and Ever, Mr Reason, Goodbye My Love, Goodbye, Velvet Mornings, Lovely Lady Of Arcadia and Quand je t'aime. In the 1970s, he spent time performing in the group Aphrodite's Child.
Bandmate Vangelis released a statement upon Roussos' passing.
"Demis my friend, I have just arrived in London and I've been told that you decide to take the long voyage. I'm shocked because I can't believe that this happened so soon," he wrote. "Nature gave you this magic voice of yours which made millions of people around the world very happy. As for me, I keep those special memories that we share together those early days and I wish you to be happy whenever you are."
By Aileen Graef
