DESCRIPTION:
Abdel Halim Hafez (June 21, 1929 -- March 30, 1977), is among the most popular Egyptian and Arab singers and performers. In addition to singing, Halim was also an actor, conductor, business man, music teacher and movie producer. He is considered to be one of the Great Four of Arabic music (along with Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, and Farid Al Attrach).

In the arabic world, Halim is known as the "King of Arabic music", "The voice of the people", "The son of the revolution", and "King of emotions and feelings". His patriotic songs were the main and most frequent songs sung by the crowds during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. His albums and CDs have sold more copies since his death than any other Arab artist ever.

At the age of 11 Abdel Halim contacted bilharzia — a rare parasitic water-borne disease— and was extremely periodically and painfully afflicted by it for most of his career. Despite this, he remained positive and never stopped creating and performing his songs. Nevertheless, he also was always there for his country despite the illness. It is reported that at least four women committed suicide by jumping off the balcony during his huge funeral march.

Hafez is said to have fallen in love only once, in his youth, with a young woman whose parents refused to allow them to marry. After four years, her parents finally approved, but the girl died of a chronic disease before the wedding. Abdel Halim never recovered from her loss, and dedicated many of his saddest songs to her memory, including the Coffee Cup Reader.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdel_Halim_Hafez