The Arab world was in tears when the Lebanese ‘Diva of Music’ Sabah passed away just days after her 87th in 2014.
Jeanette Georges Feghali, better known to the world as Sabah, passed away 3 years ago, just days after her 87th birthday. Today, her 90th birthday is celebrated with a Google Doodle.
Looking back at her career, it is not hard to see why Sabah reached the status she achieved in the Arab world. She has released more than 50 musical albums and has acted in 98 movies, as well as 20 theatrical plays.
With more than 3,500 songs in her repertoire, she was nicknamed Empress of the Lebanese Song, and is considered one of four Lebanese musical icons, alongside Fairuz, Wadih El Safi and Samira Tawfiq.
Also known as Shahroura, blackbird, she released her first single at the age of 15, and soon after signed for three movies with the Egyptian producer Asia Dagher.
The first movie she appeared in was El-Qalb Louh Wahid (The Heart Has Its Reasons), which was a hit and launched her career. The name of her character, Sabah, and nickname Sabouha, stuck, and she became known as Sabah ever since.
In addition to her Lebanese citizenship, Sabah later on received the Egyptian, Jordanian and US citizenships, and was wedd an astonishing 7 times.
Most notably, she was married to the iconic Egyptian actor Roshdi Abaza, as well as the Egyptian musician Anwar Mansy. From Lebanon, she married writer and director Wassim Tabbara, businessman Naji Chammas and politician Youssef Hammoud.
Her last marriage however, was to the much-younger artist Fadi Lubnan, whom the public believed was purely interested in her wealth.
After a failed married (to Lubnan) and financial difficulties in the early 2000s, she was forced to sell her home and moved into Hotel Comfort in Baabda, and later on Hotel Brasilia, where she stayed until her death on November 26, 2014.
Her funeral was attended by thousands of friends, fans and Lebanese and Arab public figures.
Watch her last song and music video in collaboration with the Lebanese singer Rola Saad:
