Ofra Haza

(1957-2000)

Of Yemenite origin, Ofra Haza's talent was first recognized in the children's theater group she belonged to in her poor Tel Aviv Hatikvah neighborhood. She earned roles as a soloist from the 1970's and thereafter her professional career as a singer of popular music was launched. She represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest and achieved extensive acclaim internationally as a recording artist, especially of Yemenite song. In 1992, Ofra's album Kirya was nominated for the Grammy Awards for the best album in the World Beat category and, two years later, she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo at the request of the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Perhaps her biggest break in terms of exposure to an American audience occurred when she was featured on the soundtrack of the animated film, The Prince of Egypt. In February 2000, Haza suddenly died of massive organ failure at the age of 42.