Tilahun Gessesse
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Tilahun Gessesse (27 September 1940 – 19 April 2009) was an Ethiopian singer regarded as the most popular Ethiopian artist in the 20th century. Noted by his tenor voice, he was nicknamed "The Voice" during his country's "Golden Age" in the 1960s. Tilahun was an eminent singer whose works are attributed legacy to Ethiopian music. Beside his popularity, he raised money for aid during the famines of the 1970s and 1980s and earned the affection of the nation, being awarded a doctorate degree by the University of Addis Ababa and also winning a lifetime achievement award from the Ethiopian Fine Art and Mass Media Prize Trust.
In his later years, he suffered from diabetes. He died on 19 April 2009 in Addis Adaba shortly after returning from the United States. Tilahun was honoured with a state funeral attended by tens of thousands of his fellow citizens.
