Iranian Dissident Pop Singer Hossein Zaman Dies at 64

Hossein Zaman, a well-known Iranian pop singer who was banned for years over his criticism of the Islamic Republic's policies, has died at the age of 64.

His son Abouzar made the announcement in a tweet on May 11, months after the singer was hospitalized due to cancer-related complications.

“Dad is gone, he is gone forever,” he wrote.

On the evening of May 10, music reporter Bahman Babazadeh said Zaman was transferred to an intensive care unit.

His condition deteriorated after his daughter Zeinab, a feminist activist, was arrested twice by security forces in the past seven months.

Zaman was a popular pop singer in the 90s. The authorities allowed him to return to the stage in 2018 after a 17-year ban to perform at the Tehran's Milad Tower Convention Center with a 30-piece orchestra.

Zaman's first album, titled Night of Missing (1996), featured popular songs such as Brighter Than a Star, The Smell of Loneliness, Bird, and Flower's Hatred. 

He released several other albums in the following years.