Ofra Haza

Ofra Haza
עפרה חזה
Haza in 1981
Born
Bat-Sheva Haza

(1957-11-19)19 November 1957
Hatikva, Tel Aviv, Israel
Died23 February 2000(2000-02-23) (aged 42)
Ramat Gan, Israel
Cause of deathComplications from AIDS
Resting placeYarkon Cemetery
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
Years active1969–2000
Spouse
Doron Ashkenazi
​
(m. 1997)​
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
Labels
Websitewww.haza.co.il
Signature

Ofra Haza (Hebrew: עפרה חזה; 19 November 1957 – 23 February 2000) was an Israeli singer, songwriter, and actress, commonly known in the Western world as "the Madonna of the East",[1] or "the Israeli Madonna".[2] Her voice has been described as a "tender" mezzo-soprano.[3] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Haza at number 186 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[4]

Of Yemenite-Mizrahi descent, Haza performed music known as a mixture of traditional Middle Eastern and commercial singing styles, fusing elements of Eastern and Western instrumentation, orchestration and dance-beat, as well as lyrics from Mizrahi and Jewish folk tales and poetry.[5] By the late 1980s, Haza was an internationally successful artist, achieving large success in Europe and the Americas and appearing regularly on MTV.[6] During her singing career, she earned many platinum and gold discs and her music proved highly popular in the club scene.[6] By the 1990s, at the peak of her career,[7] she was regularly featured in movie soundtracks,[6] such as that of Dick Tracy (1990) and famously in The Prince of Egypt (1998), and her vocals were popularly sampled in hip hop. Her death in 2000 from an AIDS-related illness shocked Israeli society.

Haza was a highly influential cultural figure in Israel, and is considered one of the country's biggest cultural icons,[7] who helped popularize Mizrahi culture.[8]

  1. ^ "The Israeli Madonna". BBC Four. 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Ofra Haza, Madonna of the East". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  3. ^ Pareles, Jon (24 February 2000). "Ofra Haza, 41, Israeli Pop Singer Who Crossed Cultural Bounds". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  4. ^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Ofra Haza | Morning Becomes Eclectic". KCRW. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Ofra Haza". Deezer. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Ofra Haza, Tragic Israeli Pop Diva". Tablet Magazine. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  8. ^ Joffe, Lawrence (25 February 2000). "Ofra Haza". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2021.