| Fereydoun Farrokhzad, PhD. (دکترفريدون فرخزاد) |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Fereydoun Farrokhzad |
| Also known as | Farrokhzad |
| Born | October 7, 1938 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | August 6, 1992 (aged 53) Bonn, Germany |
| Occupations | Singer, TV/Radio Host, Entertainer, poet, Writer, Activist |
| Years active | 1962–1992 |
| Labels | Taraneh Records Caltex Records Pars Video Avang Records |
| Associated acts | Mahasti, Googoosh, Sattar, Ebi, Shohreh Solati, Shahram Shabpareh |
Fereydoun Farrokhzad PhD. (Persian: دکتر فریدون فرخزاد ) (October 7, 1938 - August 6, 1992) was an Iranian singer, actor, poet, TV and radio host, writer, and opposition political figure.[1] He was the younger brother of the acclaimed Persian poet Forough Farrokhzad.
He was stabbed to death on 6 August 1992 at his home in Bonn, Germany. Prior to his murder, Farrokzhad had been involved in producing an opposition radio programme and reportedly received death threats.[2]
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Fereydoun Farrokhzad was born in "Chahar Raheh Gomrok" (Gomrok Intersection), a neighborhood in Tehran, Iran. He was the second of seven children (Amir, Massoud, Mehrdad, Forough, Pouran, Gloria). After graduating from high school he went to Germany and Austria for his post-secondary education. He got his Ph.D. in political science from a university in Berlin. At a young age Farrokhzad had a passion for poetry and for singing. He turned that passion to reality in 1962 when he started writing poems in Germany, which were published in two German newspapers. In 1964 Farrokhzad published his collection of poems called "Fasleh Deegar" (Another Season). His book was critically acclaimed and was honored by many famous German poets. Five months after the release of "Fasleh Deegar" Farrokhzad received the Poetry Award of Berlin. For a couple years Farrokhzad was a member of the Munich Academy of Poetry. In 1966 he found his way to the Television and Radio of Munich. On Radio he had a comedy and music program which played middle eastern music including music from Iran. On TV he created and produced a show called خيابان های آلپ (Alpine Roads). In 1967 he returned to Iran and performed on successful radio and TV shows. His most successful and famous TV show was "Mikhakeh Noghrei" (Silver Carnation). The show was wached by millions of Iranians. On the show Farokhzad introduced and discovered many famous Iranian artists including Sattar, Shohreh, Shahram Solati, Ebi, Morteza, Rouhi Savoji, Hamid Shabkhiz, Leila Forouhar, Saeed Mohammadi and many more. After the 1979 revolution, Farroukhzad was imprisoned, then released. He escaped the country and settled in Germany.[3]
Farrokhzad married and divorced twice. His first marriage took place in 1962, to a German woman named Ania Buchkowski, whom he met at Oxford. Like Farrokhzad, she had a passion for poetry and theater; it was after meeting her that Farrokhzad started writing poems. They divorced, but they had a son called Rostam. His second marriage, to an Iranian woman, also ended in divorce.
According to the Voice of America, Farroukhzad was known by his fans as an "educated patriot" who frequently criticized the Islamic Republic and its leaders and who was present during many demonstrations against the clerical government.[4]
Farrokhzad produced a weekly radio show for the "Voice of the Flag of Freedom Organization of Iran," the radio station of the Organization of Kaviyani Banner, an "organization of exiled supporters of the Iranian monarchy."[2] Farrokhzad also participated in a film, "I Love Vienna",[5] which was considered by some Iranian authorities to be anti-Islamic.[3]
On August 6, 1992 Farrokhzad was stabbed 40 times with a knife at his home in Bonn, Germany. He was found three days later by his neighbor.
According to the U.S. state-funded Voice of America (VOA), the murder was "widely believed to be the work of the Iranian government" [4].
To this day Farrokhzad is considered one of the best entertainers and showman that Iran has ever had. His songs are still played on Iranian TV and Radio shows outside of Iran. Many artists like Saeed Mohammadi and Shahram Shabpareh have done covers of his famous songs. He is responsible for the success of many Iranian artists that are famous today. Singer Ebi has said that he owes his success to Farrokhzad.