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Iconic Syrian Singer Sabah Fakhri Dies in Damascus

Iconic Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri, who has died at the age of 88, performs at a festival in Abu Dhabi in May 2010 - AFP
Iconic Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri, who has died at the age of 88, performs at a festival in Abu Dhabi in May 2010 - AFP
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Iconic Syrian Singer Sabah Fakhri Dies in Damascus

Iconic Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri, who has died at the age of 88, performs at a festival in Abu Dhabi in May 2010 - AFP
Iconic Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri, who has died at the age of 88, performs at a festival in Abu Dhabi in May 2010 - AFP

Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri, considered one of the most famous in the Arab world, died in Damascus on Tuesday at the age of 88, his son told AFP.

"He died a natural death in Damascus. His heart stopped beating," said Anas Fakhri, lamenting his father's passing as a "huge loss for Syrian art."

Born in the northern province of Aleppo and hailed as one of Syria's greats, Fakhri was known for his masterful delivery of traditional Syrian songs that combined Arabic poetry with music.

The short stout man modified and popularized the Qudud Halabiya -- a traditional form of Aleppine music that combines lyrics based on the poetry of Al-Andalus with old religious melodies collected mostly by musicians from the northern Syrian city.

"He was a living legend and legends do not die," his son said.

"He will continue to be the legend of Syria and Aleppo."

A symbol of the golden age of Arabic song, Fakhri was able to keep his audience in suspense for hours by tirelessly repeating the verses of classical or contemporary Arabic poems.

In 1968, he broke a record singing for 10 straight hours on tour in the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

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Stars Strive to Dispel Tariff Gloom at Cannes Film Festival 

Actor Tom Cruise attends a British Film Institute (BFI) event to receive BFI Fellowship, at the BFI Chair's Dinner, at the Rosewood Hotel, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor Tom Cruise attends a British Film Institute (BFI) event to receive BFI Fellowship, at the BFI Chair's Dinner, at the Rosewood Hotel, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)
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Stars Strive to Dispel Tariff Gloom at Cannes Film Festival 

Actor Tom Cruise attends a British Film Institute (BFI) event to receive BFI Fellowship, at the BFI Chair's Dinner, at the Rosewood Hotel, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor Tom Cruise attends a British Film Institute (BFI) event to receive BFI Fellowship, at the BFI Chair's Dinner, at the Rosewood Hotel, in London, Britain, May 12, 2025. (Reuters)

Movie legends from Tom Cruise to Denzel Washington will gather in Cannes this week for the 78th incarnation of its film festival, as the industry tries to shake off worries over dwindling audiences and threatened US tariffs.

Cruise will be launching what is touted as the last in his "Mission: Impossible" franchise and scores of others will be hoping to follow the path that last year's top prize winner "Anora" took to Oscar glory.

Alongside them, Robert De Niro will be getting a lifetime achievement award, and star actors Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Stewart and Harris Dickinson will all be trying their hands as directors with films competing in the smaller categories.

Just a week ago, US President Donald Trump shook the global film industry by announcing a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the country - a statement that left many studio executives alarmed and baffled about when such levies might be applied or how they might come into force.

In Cannes, those worries have dominated backroom conversations, but made no dent on the frontline announcements.

"Nobody wants to be talking about tariffs and Trump here," said Scott Roxborough, European bureau chief for The Hollywood Reporter. "In the industry, everybody's going to be talking about it."

OSCAR GLORY

The festival kicks off on Tuesday evening. The decisions of its jury - chaired by France's Juliette Binoche with "Monster's Ball" star Halle Berry with her on the panel - will be closely watched.

"Anora", the winner of Cannes' top prize the Palme d'Or in 2024, went on to take home five Oscars. Cannes' top film in 2023, "Anatomy of a Fall", later won one Academy Award. Its pick in 2019, "Parasite", memorably became the first non-English-language film to win the best picture Oscar.

This year, US director Wes Anderson will be launching his new movie "The Phoenician Scheme," which will be competing against independent films including the likes of Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" and Julia Ducournau's "Alpha".

Films screening outside the competition include the new "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning", as well as Spike Lee's "Highest 2 Lowest", starring Denzel Washington.

Hollywood's travails might not be center stage, but world politics has made it into the program.

Three films about the war in Ukraine will be shown as part of a "Ukraine Day" event.

All screenings are sold out for "Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk", which follows 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in April, one day after it was announced that the documentary had been chosen for the festival's ACID program.