On August 17th Russia and Azerbaijan mark the 72nd anniversary of Muslim Magomayev's birth.
Muslim Mahammad oglu Magomayev was a Soviet and Azerbaijani baritone operatic and pop singer of the 1960s and 1970s. He achieved iconic status in Russia and the post-Soviet countries, including his native Azerbaijan, for his vocal talent and charisma
Magomayev was awarded several honors including People's Artist of Azerbaijan, People's Artists of the USSR (1973), Order of Honour (Russian Federation), Order of the Red Banner of Labour, Order of Friendship of Peoples, Istiglal Order, and Order of "Heart of Darko." He became the art director of the Azerbaijan State Bandstand-Symphonic Orchestra in 1975 and toured in France, Bulgaria, Finland, and Canada.
The singer was born on August 17, 1942 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Magomayev moved to Moscow in the early 1970s. In 1997, in recognition of Magomayev's professional successes, a Russian astronomical society named a planetoid of the solar system in his honor, 4980 Magomaev.
In 1998, Magomayev officially stopped his musical career and gave only a few performances together with his wife. He died in Moscow on October 25, 2008 aged 66. The funeral ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
