Prominent Iranian musician Andranic Asatourian passed away

NCR-Iran.org
Feb 22 2015

Prominent Iranian musician Andranic Asatourian passed away

Andranic Asatourian, the great Iranian composer and musician and a
valuable asset to the contemporary Iranian art and music, and a member
of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) passed away early
hours of Sunday in a hospital in Los Angeles, California after a
difficult battle with cancer. He was 73.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance
offered her deepest condolences to Asatourain family, particularly his
wife Ayda, the Iranian people, members of NCRI, and the PMOI members
at Camp Liberty.

Assatourian, who was Iranian Armenian, joined the National council of
Resistance of Iran in 1990s. He had a deep and profound affection for
members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK),
residents of camp Ashraf and Liberty, and defended them vigorously
over the years.

He was the embodiment of contemporary Iranian music of the past half a century.

Mrs. Rajavi described Andranic Asatourian as a great asset of Persian
art and music that the Iranian Armenians have presented to the Iranian
nation.

“Asatourian will also be remembered as another great Iranian Christian
of the contemporary Iranian history,” she said.

Assatourian, who had composed and conducted some of the most memorable
hits of Iranian contemporary music, left Iran in protest to the
mullahs’ tyranny and did not allow his art to be misused by the
clerical dictatorship.

Ando, as he was called by his friends and fans rejected the artists
who allowed to be manipulated and exploited by the clerical regime.

According to Asatourian, the first mandate for an artist is to be
patriotic and having affection for his people and this begins with
rejection of the clerical regime.

In years in exile he continued his struggle for freedom and democracy in Iran.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress