Singer Ishay Levi, one of the most recognizable voices in Mizrahi and Mediterranean music, died overnight Sunday at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center after a deterioration in his condition in recent days, his family said. He was 63.
“With unimaginable pain, we announce the death of Ishay Levi tonight,” his family said, adding that funeral details would be released later Sunday. “There are no words right now.”
Levi was considered one of the pioneers of Mizrahi music in Israel, breaking through in the 1980s and becoming one of the genre’s defining figures. His distinctive voice and hits such as “Raiya,” “Rikdi,” “Rikud Romanti” (“Romantic Dance”) and “Isha Ne'emana” (“Faithful Woman”) influenced generations of singers and became part of Israel’s musical soundtrack.
Culture Minister Miki Zohar called Levi “one of the great and moving voices in Israeli music,” saying he “touched the hearts of entire generations.”
Musician Aviv Geffen called him “one of Israel’s great soul singers.”
Levi was born in Rosh HaAyin in the 1960s to a religious family. His father was a Torah scribe. In a 2021 interview with ynet's parent newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Levi said he knew from age 11 that he would be a singer. “I didn’t like anything except singing,” he said. “At 15, I was already the lead singer of a band, and at 19, I already had a record. The rest is history.”
His first album, “Hafla with Ben-Mosh,” was released in 1984 and became a major success. His second album, “Hiney Ba Ha-yom” (“Here Comes the Day”), brought some of his biggest early hits, including “Dream,” “Raiya” and “One and Only.”
Levi also spoke openly for years about his struggles with drug addiction, arrests and personal crises. Still, he repeatedly returned to performing and recording, cementing his status as one of the genre’s most important artists.
His career was revived in 2008 with the album “Rikud Romanti,” which returned him to the center of Israeli music. In 2012, his single “At” (“You”), written and composed by Amir Benayoun, won an ACUM song of the year award.
Over his career, Levi collaborated with many Israeli artists, including his son Shir Levi, his brother Nati Levi, Dudu Tassa, Ethnix, Mosh Ben Ari, Arkadi Duchin, Aya Korem, Rami Kleinstein and Rivka Zohar.
In 2025, he appeared on the fourth season of “The Masked Singer” in Israel, performing as Pufferfish, and finished in seventh place.