Famed Egyptian singer Samir El Eskandarany passed away on Thursday at the age of 82, after a long struggle with kidney illness.

Many celebrities and artistic entities mourned the passing of the singer, who was a popular figure of the 70s and 80s.

"He was one of the artistic icons who presented a heritage that will be preserved for generations to come, and a national patriot," said singer Hany Shaker, head of the Musicians Syndicate.

El Eskandarany, who took part in some Egyptian intelligence missions, left a legacy of dozens of memorable patriotic and love songs, including Yally Aash Hobbek Yeallem, Ah Ya Gamil,Ya Leil, and others.

Born on 8 February 1938 in El-Ghoury neighbourhood in Cairo, El Eskandarany attended the Faculty of Fine Arts and then went on to Italy for a scholarship.

When he returned, he began singing in various languages, including Arabic, English, Italian and Greek, with songs like Take Me Back to Cairo, Silver Nile, and others.

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