Romani and arabesque star Dzhansever Dalipova dies at 59

Dzhansever Dalipova, a towering voice of Romani and arabesque music, has died at the age of 59 in a hospital in Essen, Germany, after a prolonged battle with leukemia.

Her health briefly improved following a bone marrow transplant last year, but the disease returned and led to complications and an infection that required hospitalization and ultimately proved fatal.

From Veles to Turkish stardom

Dalipova was born on 8 July 1967 in Veles as the youngest of seven children in a poor farming family. Her early life was marked by tragedy: at eight she permanently lost sight in one eye in an accident, and at 12 she lost her father. Those hardships would later deepen the emotional intensity of her performances.

Music became her refuge. She began singing at weddings and local restaurants at 16 and released her first album, Kemano Bašal, in 1992 in Romani, working with musicians such as Ferus Mustafov. Her career took a decisive turn in 1997 when she moved to Turkey and made a celebrated appearance on the İbo Show performing the song "Kara Çadır." The reaction from Ibrahim Tatlises and the Turkish public propelled her to long-term success on the arabesque scene.

Over decades she built a large repertoire of beloved tracks — among them "Kemano bašal e romenge", "Kali" and "Sa ka dav akaja rat" — and became one of the most sought-after performers of her genre in Turkey.

Although she lived and received treatment in Germany for many years, Dalipova repeatedly expressed a wish to return to her place of birth. Her last wish was: "I want to rest where my life began, where everything began..." The funeral is scheduled to take place on 12 August in Veles.

Her long public career, and the personal suffering behind it, made Dalipova a figure who connected audiences across the Balkans and Turkey; she will be remembered for a voice that carried both pain and resilience.

Photo: press material from the event