Israeli Music Legend Mati Caspi Dies at 76
Israel mourns the passing of legendary musician Mati Caspi at age 76. After a nine-month battle with cancer, the iconic singer, composer, and producer leaves behind a monumental legacy, from "Behind the Sounds" to his pioneering work in Israeli-Brazilian music.
Nine months after revealing his cancer diagnosis, one of Israel's greatest singers and musicians, Mati Caspi, passed away this morning (Sunday) at age 76.
Tel Aviv's Ichilov Medical Center announced:
"The Tel Aviv Medical Center Ichilov sadly announces the passing of musician Mati Caspi during the night, and conveys the family's message:
'With aching hearts and deep sorrow we announce the passing of our beloved husband and dear father. The light in our lives has been extinguished. His love and the work he left behind will always remain part of us forever. You were and will remain the essence of our existence.' We share in the family's grief. May his memory be blessed."
Born in 1949 at Kibbutz Hanita, Caspi began his professional musical career during military service with the Southern Command entertainment troupe, where he was part of the group "The Three Fatties" and the troupe's vaudeville team. Even then, his arrangement abilities and talent for composing hits like "Ani Met" stood out.
After his military discharge in the early 1970s, Caspi began working as a soloist and arranger. In 1972, he joined Shlomo Gronich for the show "Behind the Sounds," which presented an experimental musical approach. In 1974, he released his first solo album (known as "The Brown Album"), in which he played all the instruments himself, a technique he repeated in subsequent albums.
In the 70's, he was also very active making Barzilian music: he produced the show "Beautiful Tropical Land" (1977) and released the album "Another Side," based on Sasha Argov's works with new arrangements. During this period, he composed some of his career's central songs, including "Brit Olam" and "Yeled Assur Yeled Mutar."
In the 1980s, Caspi established his position as a dominant music producer. He produced breakthrough albums for Riki Gal ("Riki Gal" and "What Is Love"), composed most of her songs, and arranged albums for artists like Chava Alberstein and Benzin. In 1987, he released the album "Sof Hayom," which achieved great commercial success.
In the early 1990s, Caspi moved to the United States and Canada for several years, a period during which he reduced his activity in Israel. Upon his return in 1997, he resumed performing and recording, releasing the album "Another World."
In recent years, Caspi continued extensive musical activity that included concert tours with various artists, reunions of "Behind the Sounds" with Shlomo Gronich, and releasing new albums like "Twin Soul" (2010) and "Like a Puppet on a String" (2017). Alongside his work as a creator, he served as a judge on television music programs and continued performing at Israel's major venues.
He also faced severe health problems, an autoimmune disease that affected his vision and hearing, and nine months ago he announced he was suffering from advanced-stage cancer with metastases. Chemotherapy treatments, radiation, physiotherapy, and a series of expensive alternative treatments led him to open a crowdfunding campaign through the "Extending a Hand" organization. Today he passed away at age 76, after a glorious career.