Pop singer dies at age 74

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish pop singer Berkant.

Turkish pop singer Berkant Akgüren, known to his fans simply as Berkant, has died from complications of lung cancer at Memorial Hospital in Istanbul.

Berkant was most famous for his song “Samanyolu” (Milky Way). The song brought him great success and made his voice an unforgettable part of Turkish pop music history. Samanyolu was composed by Metin Bükey and written by Teoman Alpay. The same tune was sung by Dutch musician David Alexander Winter under the name “Oh Lady Mary.” The song was introduced around the world with Patricia Carli’s album, which hit markets in 1968 and sold over 100,000 copies.

As the song became famous around the world, Berkant also rose to the top list of Turkish music.

However, Berkant’s health was always a problem for the singer and he was hospitalized many times. He was undergoing treatment for lung cancer when he developed a respiratory disorder. He was hospitalized and died on Oct. 1.