| The funeral of Tilahun Gesesse in Addis Ababa |
Tilahun Gesesse, 68, died on 19 April 2009, following a sudden heart attack less than a day after he had arrived in Addis Ababa from the United States.
Today’s state funeral ceremony was a fitting finale to the extraordinary life of Tilahun Gesesse, who served his people and country as a supreme entertainer, a patriot, a preacher of peace and love.
In so many ways, Tilahun Gesesse was larger than life. But it was his passion for music and his love for his country that will ensure he is not forgotten.
Today's events in Addis Ababa proved that Tilahun can be even larger in death than in life – his state funeral was the first such event witnessed in modern Ethiopia.
State funerals are automatically granted to heads of states, but no Ethiopian leader ever in the country’s modern history was given a final send-off in a such dignified manner.
Music in Ethiopia plays a role that is impossible to describe. Although there is literally a plethora of musicians in today’s Ethiopia, Tilahun Gesesse is credited with single-handedly inventing Ethiopian singing styles that generations of Ethiopians have come to adore.
His sudden departure inevitably signals a generational change in Ethiopia. The current generation was born and raised, has lived and is living having known and seen Tilahun in one way or another, whereas subsequent generations, even those who are born already, but aren’t grown enough to appreciate music, will only know the legend in history.
His commanding voice and the way he used it to deliver a multiplicity of sensational messages through music - the videos, the tapes, the vinyl records, the CDs and DVDs will be preserved forever and will be enjoyed by generations to come.
Tilahun was a man who successfully fulfilled his ambitions. He departed prematurely before even celebrating his seventieth birthday, but his accomplishments, unmatched by any other Ethiopian, will ensure his perpetual presence in the hearts and minds of Ethiopians.
Farewell The King.
In a 2006 interview with EthiopianMillennium.Com, Artist Tamagne Beyene nominated Tilahun Gesesse for the title: “Ethiopian of the Millennium” under the “Artists” category. In the interview, Tamagne credited Tilahun with inventing modern Ethiopian music. We have taken the part where he talks about Tilahun and how he described the legendary singer for you to listen. To listen, click on the play icon on the player.
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