Brian May Bids Farewell To Jivan Gasparyan, ‘I Was Honored To Work And Play With Jivan’

Queen lead guitarist Brian May shared a post on his official Instagram page revealing his farewell message to the Armenian musician, the brilliant composer Jivan Gasparyan after his recent passing while praising Gasparyan’s music in addition to his kind character.

For those of you who may not know, Jivan Gasparyan was a famous Armenian musician who was widely known for his unique instrument, the duduk, which is a double-reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. He was so exceptionally good at his instrument that, Gasparyan was recognized as the ‘Master of the duduk,’ and he was even nominated for Grammy Awards for the Best Traditional World Music Album in 2006.

Unfortunately, his son Jivan Gasparyan Jr. recently shared a post on Facebook announcing the passing of Jivan Gasparyan on July 6, 2021, at the age of 92. Despite the cause of death or further information weren’t revealed, the iconic musician’s fans left hundreds of comments under the post, sharing their countless condolences.

In the Facebook post, the statement follows:

 “The world has suffered an unimaginable loss tonight. He was not only a legend but also a person with a beautiful soul. I write with great sorrow about my huge loss. May God keep your soul in the bright sky.”

Previously working with Jivan Gasparyan on a number of occasions including Nelson Mandela’s Arctic 46664 concert in 2005, Brian May shared a post on his official Instagram page, dedicating it to the late musician. While revealing pictures with Gasparyan as a tribute act, May also praised his music in addition to stating it was an honor to perform with him.

On top of revealing his admiration to the ‘Master of the duduk,’ the Queen guitarist also looked back in the time when he spent personal time with the musician during which May understood what a gentleman and generous person Gasparyan was. Apparently, Brian May was deeply affected by the passing of a fellow musician and paid tribute to Gasparyan one last time by sharing their live performance together with his fans.

In his IG post, Brian May captioned:

“So sad to hear of the passing of Jivan Gasparyan – the legendary Armenian musician – master of the beautiful Duduk – the unique wind instrument which seems to have sadness in its soul. I was honored to work and play with Jivan on more than one occasion – notably at Nelson Mandela’s Arctic 46664 concert in 2005. We played the famous piece which Jivan co-wrote for the Gladiator movie along with the great Hans Zimmer. There is a link here but, annoyingly, Instagram won’t allow it to work from this post.

Well, Google Jivan Gasparyan Brian May 46664 and I think you will find it. He was a gentleman and very generous. Seemed always at peace with himself and with the world. Bless him. RIP Jivan. Swipe – here he is with Peter Gabriel and me at that show under the midnight Sun in Tromso – and with me and Jivan’s compatriot, my friend Garik Israelyan – founder of the Starmus festivals. Bri”

You can see the Instagram post and watch Brian May’s performance with Jivan Gasparyan below.

Photo Credit: Brian May – Instagram Page