Veteran journalist Hasan Pulur buried in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

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Veteran Turkish journalist Hasan Pulur has laid to rest in Istanbul following a funeral in Istanbul that drew a large number of journalists and lawmakers.

Pulur died from organ failure at Florence Nightingale Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for the past six months. 

His funeral ceremony passed by the office building of daily Milliyet in Istanbul’s Çağlayan neighborhood before he was buried in the Aşiyan Cemetery close to the Bosphorus. 

“A large number of people called us over the phone after my dad passed away. People from every walk of life phoned us. That was pleasing. May my dad rest in peace,” Pulur’s son Bülent Pulur said during the ceremony on Dec. 1.

Among those who attended Pulur’s burial ceremony were former Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz; former ministers Hikmet Sami Türk, Yaşar Okuyan, Ertuğrul Günay and Mehmet Ağar; former deputies Berhan Şimşek and İlhan Kesici; Doğan Group of Companies Honorary Chairman Aydın Doğan, daily Hürriyet Editor-in-Chief Sedat Ergin and daily Milliyet Editor-in-Chief Fikret Bila.

Born in Istanbul in 1932, Pulur worked for the art magazine “Dönüm” (Turning). His poems and writings were published in several magazines between 1950 and 1954.

He worked as a journalist for around 61 years and was known for his column “Olaylar ve İnsanlar” (Incidents and People), which had been published in Milliyet since 1988. He also worked as the news coordinator at daily Hürriyet between 1979 and 1986.

Pulur lost his wife of 50 years, Meral Pulur, on Feb. 13, 2007. His son Korkut Pulur died from cancer on Aug. 17, 2010, at the age of 53. After the loss of two family members, Pulur’s health worsened. His last column was published in Milliyet on May 28.