Editing Kayahan

{{short description|Turkish pop music singer-songwriter (1949-2015)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{for|the river in Indonesia|Kahayan River}}
{{for|the village|Kayahan, Kulp}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name                = Kayahan
| image               = Kayahan.jpg
| image_size          = 200
| caption             = Kayahan in his yacht at [[Bodrum]] in 1997
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          = Kayahan Açar
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1949|3|29|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = [[İzmir]], Turkey
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2015|04|03|1949|03|29}}
| death_place         = [[Istanbul]], Turkey
| genre               = Pop, [[Pop-Rock]], [[Spoken word]], [[Ethnic]], [[Folk music|Folk]], [[Indie rock|Indie]]
| occupation          = Guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer
| instrument          = Guitar
| years_active        = 1975–2015
| website             ={{url|kayahan.info}}
}}

'''Kayahan Açar''' (29 March 1949 – 3 April 2015) was a [[Turkish people|Turkish]] pop music singer-songwriter. He was an accomplished composer, consistently ranking among the best-selling Turkish musicians of all time. Kayahan composed all of his own material and released more than eight best-selling albums during a career spanning three decades. Kayahan released a number of [[compact cassette]]s, CDs and albums and had major [[single (music)|singles]]. He represented Turkey in [[Eurovision Song Contest 1990]] with "[[Gözlerinin Hapsindeyim]]".

==Early years==
Kayahan Açar was born in [[İzmir]], Turkey on 29 March 1949.<ref name="h1"/> He spent his childhood and young adulthood years in [[Ankara]] before moving to [[Istanbul]].<ref name="s1"/>
 
==Career==
He became known for his songs "Geceler" ("Nights"), "Kar Taneleri" ("Snow Flakes"), "Esmer Günler" ("Brunette Days"), which were sung by [[Nilüfer Yumlu|Nilüfer]], all becoming later classical.<ref name="s1"/>

His album ''Yemin Ettim'' (I Swore), released on 3 June 1991, became a bestseller. He coined a motto "Yolu sevgiden geçen herkesle bir gün bir yerde buluşuruz" (One day, we will meet everyone somewhere, whose path goes through love". He wrote and composed also songs for children, and appeared in television shows for children.

On 30 April 1992, he released the album ''Odalarda Işıksızım'' (Lightless in the Rooms). Ten songs of Kayahan in the album titled ''Son Şarkılarım'' (My Last Songs), released by the label Raks Müzik in March 1993, became very successful. He continued his career with the albums ''Benim Penceremden'' (''From My Window''), released in January 1995. The song "Allah'ım Neydi Günahım" ("God, What Was My Sin?") has been sung by many singers, and brought him great success. With this album, he introduced to the music world a new, young and talented singer, İpek Tüter, whom he married later in 1999.<ref name="s1"/>

Kayahan's 1996 album, ''Canımın Yaprakları'' (''Leaves of My Life'') had eight songs and expressed "Allah kimseyi sevgisiz bırakmasın" (May God not leave anyone without love), emphasizing the concept "love" with "Sevgisiz hiçbir şey yapılmaz. Herşeyin başı sevgidir" (Nothing can be done without love. The beginning of everything is love). The next year, he released the album ''Emrin Olur'' (Your Call). His ninth album ''Beni Azad Et'' (Set Me Free) came out in April 1999, and featured nine songs, some of them becoming hits. Among them was a song, "[[Gömeç]]", the name of a seaside resort in [[Balıkesir Province]], where he has a residence with a special music studio and where he spent most of his summer time.<ref name="ch1"/> The album ''Gönül Sayfam'' (My Soul's Page), released 26 November 2000, containing the songs "17 Ağustos" (17 August) commemorating the [[1999 İzmit earthquake|earthquake of 17 August 1999]] and "Ninni" (Lullaby) for his new-born daughter Aslı Gönül. In ''Ne Oldu Can'' (What Happened Dear), released 17 December 2002, Kayahan emphasized the importance of the musicians and artists with his song "Bugün Aslında Bayram" (Today Is Indeed, Feastday), he wrote in memory of the late singer-songwriter [[Barış Manço]].<ref name="s1"/>

Kayahan received his first important award "Altın Portakal" (Golden Orange) with the song "Geceler" (Nights) at the 1986 International Mediterranean Music Contest. He represented Turkey at the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1990]] with his song "[[Gözlerinin Hapsindeyim]]" (I'm captive in your eyes), which came 17th. In 2003, he was honored with the Altın Kelebek (Golden Butterfly), and the MÜYAP (Music Producers Association) award for the bestselling-success of the album ''Ne Oldu Can''. He released ''Kelebeğin Şansı'' (The Luck of the Butterfly) in 2005, and ''Biriciğime'' (To My One and Only) on 15 March 2007.<ref name="s1"/> He performed many concerts in Turkey and abroad. For his [[open-air concert]] held at [[Kızılay Meydanı|Kızılay Square]] in [[Ankara]] on the occasion of the [[Republic Day (Turkey)|Republic Day]] in 1992, a crowd of about 160,000 people came together. Kayahan performed many relief benefit concerts to create or increase awareness about the environment.<ref name="s1"/>

==Personal life==
Açar was married three times. He made his first marriage to Nur in 1973. From this marriage, which lasted 18 years long, he became father of a daughter Beste ([[Turkish language|Turkish]] for music composition), born in 1975. Beste was runner-up for [[Miss Turkey]] in 1995. Kayahan remarried to Lale Yılmaz in 1992. The couple divorced in 1993. In 1999, at age fifty, he remarried to his third and current wife 1976-born İpek Tüter. In August 2000, İpek gave birth to their daughter Aslı Gönül.<ref name="s1"/>

==Illness and death==
[[File:KanlıcaCemetery (7).jpg|thumb|The grave of Kayahan Açar at [[Kanlıca Cemetery]] in [[Kanlıca]], [[Istanbul Province|Istanbul]]. ]]

In 1990, Kayahan was diagnosed with [[soft-tissue sarcoma|soft-tissue cancer]]. He caught the same disease in 2005 again. The illness repeated in 2014, and he was under treatment for cancer.<ref name="s1"/>

Kayahan died of [[multiple organ dysfunction syndrome]] on 3 April 2015, aged 66, in a hospital in Istanbul. He had been battling [[small-cell carcinoma|small-cell lung cancer]] since one-and-half years. He had overcome the disease twice before. After a [[Valentine's Day]] concert he lately performed with [[Nilüfer Yumlu|Nilüfer]] on 14 February 2015, he bid a public farewell to his fans.<ref name="h1"/>

He was buried in [[Kanlıca Cemetery]],<ref name="s2"/> which overlooks [[Bosphorus]], following a memorial ceremony in [[Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall]], and the religious funeral service at [[Teşvikiye Mosque]], attended also by President [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] and a great number of renowned musicians. He was survived by his wife İpek Açar, and daughters Aslı Gönül and Beste.<ref name="h2"/><ref name="m1"/>

==Tribute==
Turkish musicians contributed to and sang for a tribute album, ''[[Kayahan'ın En İyileri No.1]]'' to celebrate his music and legacy. Of the popular Turkish artists, taking part were [[Tarkan (singer)|Tarkan]], [[Sezen Aksu]], [[Sıla (singer)|Sıla]], [[Nilüfer Yumlu|Nilüfer]], [[Gülşen (singer)|Gülşen]], [[Ajda Pekkan]], [[Mustafa Ceceli]], [[Emre Aydın]] among several others.

==Albums==
* 1975 – ''Bekle Gülüm – Ateş'' (Wait, My Rose – Fire!)
* 1978 – ''İstanbul Hatırası – Neden Olmasın'' (A Souvenir from Istanbul – Why Not?)
* 1981 – ''Canım Sıkılıyor Canım'' (I Get Bored)
* 1987 – ''Merhaba Çocuklar'' (Hello Kids)
* 1988 – ''Benim Şarkılarım'' (My Songs)
* 1989 – ''Benim Şarkılarım 2 (Siyah Işıklar)'' (My Songs Vol. 2: Black Lights)
* 1991 – ''Yemin Ettim'' (I Swore)
* 1992 – ''Odalarda Işıksızım'' (Lightless in the Rooms)
* 1993 – ''Son Şarkılarım'' (My Last Songs)
* 1995 – ''Benim Penceremden'' (From My Window)
* 1996 – ''Canımın Yaprakları'' (Leaves of My Life)
* 1997 – ''Emrin Olur'' (Your Call)
* 1999 – ''Beni Azad Et'' (Set Me Free)
* 2000 – ''Gönül Sayfam'' (My Soul's Page)
* 2002 – ''Ne Oldu Can?'' (What Happened? My Dear)
* 2004 – ''Kelebeğin Şansı'' (The Luck of the Butterfly)
* 2007 – ''Biriciğime'' (To My One and Only)
* 2011 – ''365 Gün'' (365 Days)

==See also==
* [[List of Turkish musicians]]
* [[Turkish music]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="h1">{{cite news|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/kelebek/paparazzi/28633741.asp|newspaper=[[Hürriyet]]|title=Kayahan hayatını kaybetti (Kayahan kimdir?)|language=tr|date=3 April 2015|access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="h2">{{cite news|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/kelebek/paparazzi/28643064.asp|newspaper=[[Hürriyet]]|title=Büyük usta Kayahan son yolculuğuna uğurlandı|language=tr|date=5 April 2015|access-date=5 April 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="m1">{{cite news|url=http://www.milliyet.com.tr/kayahan-son-yolculuguna-ugurlani-gundem-2038852|newspaper=[[Milliyet]]|title=Kayahan son yolculuğuna uğurlandı|language=tr|date=4 April 2015|access-date=5 April 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="s1">{{cite news|url=http://www.sabah.com.tr/medya/2015/04/03/unlu-sanatci-buyuk-usta-kayahan-acar-hayatini-kaybetti|newspaper=[[Sabah (newspaper)|Sabah]]|title=Ünlü sanatçı büyük usta Kayahan Açar hayatını kaybetti|language=tr|date=3 April 2015|access-date=5 April 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="s2">{{cite news |url=http://www.sabah.com.tr/webtv/turkiye/kayahan-kanlica-mezarliginda-topraga-verilidi |newspaper=[[Sabah (newspaper)|Sabah]] |title=Kayahan Kanlıca Mezarlığı'nda toprağa verilidi |date=4 April 2015 |language=tr |access-date=13 June 2016 }}</ref>
<ref name="ch1">{{cite news|url=http://www.canakkalehaber.com/magazin/kayahan-bestelerini-gomecte-yapiyordu |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150406054840/http://www.canakkalehaber.com/magazin/kayahan-bestelerini-gomecte-yapiyordu |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 April 2015 |newspaper=Çanakkale Haber |title=Kayahan Bestelerini Gömeç'te Yapıyordu |date=3 April 2015 |language=tr |access-date=5 April 2015 }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=1485636}}

{{commons category|Kayahan Açar}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{succession box |
  before=[[Pan (Turkish band)|Pan]]<br>with ''"[[Bana Bana]]"'' |
  title=[[Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest]]|
  years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1990|1990]] |
  after=[[İzel (singer)|İzel]], [[Reyhan Karaca]] & [[Can Uğurluer]]<br>with ''"[[İki Dakika]]"'' |}}
{{s-end}}

{{Eurovision Song Contest 1990}}
{{Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in Turkey]]
[[Category:Deaths from soft-tissue sarcoma]]
[[Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure]]
[[Category:Musicians from İzmir]]
[[Category:Turkish male singers]]
[[Category:Turkish pop singers]]
[[Category:Turkish singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Turkish Muslims]]
[[Category:Burials at Kanlıca Cemetery]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants]]