Rüçhan Çamay
Rüçhan Çamay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 May 1931 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Died | 9 July 2025 (aged 94) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
Rüçhan Çamay (1 May 1931 – 9 July 2025) was a Turkish singer and actress.
Life and career
Early life
Çamay was born in Istanbul, the daughter of a Circassian mother and an Albanian father.[1] At 12, she became a member of Ankara Radio Children's Club choir.[2] After studying piano and singing at the Ankara University State Conservatory, she started his professional career in 1947.[2]
Career
In the 1950s, Çamay collaborated with Istanbul Radio as a host of jazz programmes, and started appearing in films.[3] She is regarded as the first Turkish singer to perform on television, as in 1953, when television had not yet been introduced in Turkey, she was a guest of The Linkletter Show on CBS.[2][4] In 1968, she released her first album, Gölgen Yeter Bana ('Your Shadow is Enough for Me').[3] She reached the peak of her popularity in the mid-1970s, thanks to hit songs like "Para Parra Parrra" and "Ne Haber?".[3][5]
Personal life and death
In 1953, Çamay married the film director and producer Turgut Demirağ, with whom she had two daughters.[2] Her daughter Melike Demirağ became a popular political singer, but was banned from Turkey following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, and forced to relocate in West Germany; Çamay herself faced repercussions and was forbidden from leaving and traveling abroad.[6]
Çamay died on 9 July 2025, at the age of 94.[7] She was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.[2]
References
- ^ Yaraş, Dilek. Kayıp Diva - Rüçhan Çamay'ın Hayatı (in Turkish). Kuraldişi Eğitim. p. 13. ISBN 978-975-275-532-1.
- ^ a b c d e "Rüçhan Çamay, 'first Turkish singer to sing on TV,' dies at 94". Bianet. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ a b c "'Para para para' şarkısıyla tanınan Rüçhan Çamay hayatını kaybetti". Kıbrıs Postası (in Turkish). 10 July 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ Koçaker, Mihriban (10 July 2025). "Türkiye'nin Kayıp Divası Hayata Veda Etti: Rüçhan Çamay Kimdir?". Tokat Haber (in Turkish). Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ Kaan Kaynar, Mete. Türkiye'nin 1970'li Yılları (in Turkish). İletişim Yayınları. ISBN 978-975-05-3197-2.
- ^ Özgüden, Doğan (1 January 1986). Black Book on the militarist “democracy” in Turkey. Info-Türk. p. 224.
- ^ "Usta sanatçı Rüçhan Çamay 94 yaşında hayatını kaybetti". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 10 July 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
External links
- Rüçhan Çamay discography at Discogs
- Rüçhan Çamay at IMDb