Sabah (singer)

In 2015, graffiti artists Halwani and the brothers Omar and Mohammad Kabbani commemorated Sabah in monumental murals on the sides of buildings in Beirut, paying tribute to the way she defied gender-based and other social taboos, challenging Lebanon's culture of sectarianism and providing an alternative to images of political leaders and their sloganeering.

Sabah died on 26 November 2014, around 3:00 a.m., sixteen days after her 89th birthday, in her home at Hotel Brazilia from unspecified reasons. Clauda Akl, the daughter of her famous sister, actress Lamia Feghaly, published the sad news on her webpage at around 6:45 a.m. She mentioned that Sabah wished people would not feel sad and dance the Dabkeh at her funeral. Sabah said, “I've lived enough.” After her death, her hairdresser Joseph Gharib said in an interview that Sabah loved to wear red lipstick during her last days. She considered Joseph Gharib her son, and he considered her his mother.

On Sunday, 30 November 2014, four days after Sabah's death, thousands of people filled the streets to pay their respects. Her family, Lebanese officials, and many Arab delegates packed into St. George Cathedral in downtown Beirut to bid farewell to the famed singer, actress, and entertainer. The daylong proceedings took on a festive air as the crowds celebrated Sabah's taboo-breaking six-decade-long career. In front of the cathedral, the official Lebanese Army band played the national anthem, followed by many songs from Sabah's repertoire, a first in the country's history. Fans clapped and sang their favorite Sabah songs. A troupe of dancers in traditional dress performed to her music playing from loudspeakers. "I will call it a celebration and not a funeral," said Lebanese actress Ward El-Khal. "We feel today that we came here to share her feelings and to remember her. We will miss her."

Al Shahrourah, a TV drama based on her life, aired during Ramadan in 2011. She was portrayed by actress/singer Carole Samaha. Sabah's reaction was positive toward the series. She was happy that it was a success, though she commented about certain inaccuracies, such as the depiction of her father as wearing traditional Lebanese garb.

In 2010, she retired due to an illness that left her with paralysis in one of her arms and legs.

Until 2009, she performed in concert and on television, including programs such as Star Academy. In the 1990s, she and her former husband, Fadi Lubnan (Kuntar), made a documentary about her life, which aired on Future Television under the title "The Journey of My Life" (مشوار حياتي). She also collaborated closely with singer Rola Saad in remaking some of her old hits, such as "Yana Yana." The accompanying video, in which Sabah is shown as "the notorious diva" to whom her younger colleague pays tribute, has received wide play on Arabic music channels. Sabah was hosted on the TV show Akher Man Yalam on 31 May 2010. In the 2011 edition of the Beiteddine Art Festival, a show retracing the journey of Sabah as a singer and movie star was performed. In the title role, Rouwaida Attieh shared the stage with more than 40 singers and dancers to honor her works.

Sabah carried four passports from different countries: Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and the United States. She married seven times, most notably to Egyptian actor Rushdy Abaza, as well as Lebanese businessman Najib Chammas, Egyptian musician Anwar Mansy, Egyptian television presenter Ahmed Farraj, Lebanese politician Youssef (Joe) Hammoud, and Lebanese author-director Wassim Tabbara. Her last marriage was to the much-younger Lebanese artist Fadi Lubnan. She had two children, Sabah Chammas (from her marriage to Najib Chammas) and Howayda Mansy (from her marriage to Anwar Mansy). Sabah was a medical doctor in the United States, and Howayda, a relatively well-known singer, actress, and socialite. In her advanced age, she refused to leave the limelight and her garish outfits. But she was unabashed: "I'm proud that I'm a village girl, but I had a lot of ambition," she said in 2008. Chady Maalouf, head of programming at Voice of Lebanon Radio, said, "She broke so many taboos. I don't know if she was even aware of it... She was the example of a star, she was totally complete in her appearance, behavior and voice. She shocked people all the time." She was also known for her remarkable joie de vivre as she radiated a sense of happiness and goodness to the public in an embodiment of a belle époque in the modern Arab world.

In April 2008, a publication with supporting photos announced that she had married Joseph Gharib, her hair-dresser of 17 years. It was later revealed that she only pulled an April Fools' Day joke on the public.

Among her most popular films were My Father Deceived Me (1951), That's What Love Is (1961), Soft Hands (1963), Three Women (1968), Paris and Love (1972), and The Second Man (1959), in which she played a cabaret singer who vows to avenge her brother's death at the hands of a smuggling ring.

Sabah started singing very young and released her first song in Lebanon in 1940 at 15. She later went to Egypt, where she first participated in the movie El-Qalb Luh Wahid (The Heart Has Its Reasons), released in 1945, which gained her regional fame. She then became officially known by her character's name — Sabah, Arabic for the morning. She also acquired several affectionate nicknames, including "Chahroura" ("songbird") and "Sabbouha," a diminutive of Sabah.

Sabah (Arabic: صباح Ṣabāḥ Lebanese pronunciation: [sˤɑˈbaːħ]; born Janet Gerges Feghali, جانيت جرجس فغالي; 10 November 1927 – 26 November 2014) was a Lebanese singer and actress. She participated in many Egyptian movies and songs. She was among the first Arabic singers to perform at the Olympia, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.

Sabah emerged when the field of Arab singers was already crowded with formidable competitors. These included Umm Kulthum (1898-1975), Nagat El Sagheera (born 1938), Warda Al-Jazairia (1939–2012), Shadia (1931–2017), Fairuz (born 1934), and others.