Singer-songwriter Georges Moustaki dies

Singer-songwriter Georges Moustaki died on Thursday in the French Mediterranean city of Nice, his family said. He was 79. A Greek native, Moustaki grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and arrived in Paris in 1951.

Singer-songwriter Georges Moustaki died on Thursday in the French Mediterranean city of Nice, his family said. He was 79. A Greek native, Moustaki grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and arrived in Paris in 1951.

He began performing at nightclubs and came to know masters of the "chanson française" such as Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel and Serge Gainsbourg.

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Moustaki met Edith Piaf in the late 1950s and was soon writing songs for the legendary singer, including "Milord".

By the late 1960s, Moustaki was an established singer with hits such as "Le Meteque" and "Ma Liberte", even as he continued to write for other vocalists, among them, Yves Montand.

Suffering from a lung ailment, Moustaki retired from performing after a January 2009 concert at the Palace of Music in Barcelona.

"I have had a passionate life. I hope it will be that way until the end," he said in 2011.