Turkish pop star found dead

ISTANBUL

Veteran Turkish pop singer Erol Büyükburç was found dead in his home in Istanbul’s Etiler neighborhood March 12. He was 79. A police investigation did not determine his death to be suspicious. It was reported that he had three stents, small mesh tubes used to treat narrow or weak blood vessels, in his heart. His body was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for autopsy.

Büyükburç was expected to give a concert March 13 in the northwestern province of Bursa.

Born in 1936 in the southern province of Adana, Büyükburç was the most popular Turkish pop star of the 1960s. His first album titled “Sevgi Çiçekleri” was released in 1975 and it was followed by “Sen Varsın” in 1981. The artist gained fame with the song “Seveme” from this album.

“Öp Beni,””Little Lucy” and “Haydi Gençlik Hop Hop” were among his most popular songs.

Büyükburç lost his daughter, singer Ajlan Büyükburç, in a traffic accident and his wife Emel Büyükburç in 2001 because of liver failure.