Ferdi Tayfur

Ferdi Tayfur (Turkish pronunciation: [ˌfæɾdi tajˈfuɾ]; born Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt; 15 November 1945 – 2 January 2025) was a Turkish singer, actor, director, songwriter and screenwriter. He was born in the Taşçı neighbourhood of Adana and led a successful career in Arabesque music. The artist, who earned nine golden certifications in total, was renowned for his songs, which he included in motion pictures as well. In the Turkish media, he was commonly known as "Ferdi Baba". Having released more than 30 albums and over 30 films, he founded Ferdifon Records in 1982 and also entered the construction sector in 2009. Tayfur was born in Adana and his father Cumali Bey named him after his favorite voice actor Ferdi Tayfur. His father wanted his son to have a proper education, but after he was murdered when exiting a casino, Tayfur left school and led a life of poverty, with his mother marrying another man after his death. He revealed that he wanted to study but could not do so because of lack of opportunities. In his childhood, he worked as an apprentice in a candy store owned by his stepfather, and there he learned how to read. Tayfur, who later worked on the farm and contributed to the family's income, started singing at weddings during the same years. Later, he participated in Adana Radio's music contest. Tayfur made deals with Seda Plak in 1968 to release two records, but the recordings were not well received. He then went back to Adana to work on the farm. As well, he continued to work on his music career. After a three-year break he released his new record, Huzurum Kalmadı. In 1973, he released Kır Çiçekleri under the label Görsev Plak. In 1974, he released another record Bana Gerçekleri Söyle. In 1975, he signed a new contract with Elenor Plak. After the release of Bırak Şu Gurbeti, he became widely known with the release of his song Çeşme.[unreliable source?] Tayfur's first album, which included songs written by himself, made a good sale in the years when he started his musical career but due to financial difficulties, he sold two songs to Elenor Plak's proprietor Atilla Alpsakarya who eventually gave them to Gülden Karaböcek. Tayfur continued to publish his records and eventually became widely known with his song "Çeşme", and in 1977 he was cast in a leading role alongside Necla Nazır in a movie with the same title. The film was watched by 12 million people at the time.[citation needed] Alongside releasing albums, he gave numerous concerts. 200,000 people attended his concert in Gülhane Park in 1993. In 2020, Tayfur received a kidney transplant from his son. Tayfur died at a Antalya Medical Park hospital in on 2 January 2025, at the age of 79. He was transferred to Istanbul, and buried in the family grave at Yeniköy Cemetery following a memorial ceremony in the Atatürk Cultural Center and the funeral prayer at Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha Mosque on 4 January. Şekerci Çırağı, novel, Kora Yayın, (2003) Yağmur Durunca, novel, Kora Yayın, (2008) Bir Zamanlar Ağaçtım, novel, Kora Yayın, (2013) Paraşütteki Çocuk, novel, (2014) 1993: Yetiş Emmioğlu, presenter (Show TV) 2009: Korolar Çarpışıyor, contestant (Show TV) 2009: Boynu Bükük Şarkılar, presenter (Kanal 7) Çarkoğlu, Ali; Kalaycıoğlu, Ersin (26 May 2009). The rising tide of conservatism in Turkey. Macmillan. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-230-60262-5. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Wiktorowicz, Quintan (2004). Islamic activism: a social movement theory approach. Indiana University Press. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-253-34281-2. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Eleftheriotis, Dimitris; Needham, Gary (2006). Asian cinemas: a reader and guide. University of Hawaii Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-8248-3085-4. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Houston, Christopher (2001). Islam, Kurds and the Turkish nation state. Berg Publishers. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-85973-477-3. Retrieved 3 April 2011. "Ferdi Tayfur inşaat sektörüne girdi". NTV.com.tr. 24 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. "ARŞİV ODASI: Ferdi Tayfur, 1984 – BBC TÜRKÇE". BBC Türkçe. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. "Hiçbir kadına yalan söylemedim hepsi diğerini biliyordu". Seral Cumalı. Posta. 22 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. "Ferdi Tayfur biyografisi burada" [Ferdi Tayfur biography here]. Biography.net (in Turkish). Retrieved 7 November 2022. "Ferdi%20Tayfur%20g%C3%BClhane... - MİLLİYET GAZETE ARŞİVİ". Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2018. "Turkish Arabesque music icon Ferdi Tayfur dies at 79". APA.az. 3 January 2025. "Arabesk müziğinin ünlü ismi Ferdi Tayfur hayatını kaybetti". ntv.com.tr (in Turkish). 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025. "Son dakika... Ferdi Tayfur hayatını kaybetti". www.bugunhaber.com (in Turkish). 2 January 2025. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025. "Ferdi Tayfur son yolculuğuna uğurlandı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 4 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2025. Ferdi Tayfur at IMDb Ferdi Tayfur discography at Discogs