Adiss Harmandian
Adiss Harmandian was a Lebanese-Armenian pop singer.
He was born Avedis Harmandian on 14 January 1945 in Beirut, Lebanon from Armenian genocide survivours. His stage name Adiss is a derivative of his given name. His career began in the 1960s, and his first single was the song "Dzaghigner", which quickly gained popularity among Lebanese and diaspora Armenians. Harmandian is considered a pioneer of the estradayin genre of Armenian music. Songs in the genre, such as Harmandian's own "Nouné" or "Karoun Karoun" are primarily sung in Armenian, and were influential in the formation of Armenian identity in Lebanon, the Middle East and throughout the Armenian diaspora.
Harmandian has released 29 albums and around 400 songs and has received numerous awards, both abroad and in Armenia. During the Lebanese Civil War, Harmandian emigrated to the United States and resided in Los Angeles, CA.
He died on 1 September 2019 at the age of 74 in UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, after a long 15-year fight with cancer.
