Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese musical giant and sardonic critic, dead at 69

Ziad Rahbani, the Lebanese composer and musician who built a distinct Lebanese sound from Western and Arabic musical roots, and whose sardonic critique of the country's sectarian politics rang true to Lebanese across the divides, has died.

He was 69.

Rahbani was much-loved across Lebanon and his words remained relevant across generations, from those who grew up with him during the 1975-90 Civil War, to the post-war generation who have struggled to shake the war's legacy.

He passed away at a hospital in Beirut on Saturday morning after a long illness, the hospital said.