Greek composer Phoebus has paid tribute to singer Dimitris Kokotas following his death at the age of 57, saying there are not enough words to say goodbye to a man who marked his life.
Kokotas died on Tuesday, August 25. He had spent more than two years at the Georgios Gennimatas hospital in Athens after suffering a heart attack and cardiac arrest.
The medical emergency occurred during a television shoot for the Greek singing competition show J2US.
Shared dreams
In a social media post sharing two photographs of the pair from their early careers, Phoebus said they first met around 1992.
He said they were both at the start of their paths and, without knowing it, were beginning one of the most beautiful chapters of their lives.
The composer recalled the two young men dreaming, fighting and believing everything was ahead of them.
He remembered spending endless hours in the northern Athens suburb of Kifissia, where they lived, taking walks, talking, laughing and making music in the studio, as well as countless visits to a friend's beachside venue at Schinias.
Rare kindness
Phoebus said that while life had sometimes distanced them over the years, their friendship had never faded.
He described Kokotas not just as a great singer, but as a clean, generous and authentic person with rare kindness and a nobility that did not need to be proven.
The pair collaborated on hit songs that stood the test of time, Phoebus said, but noted that those achievements seemed small compared to what they shared as people.
Deep emotion
Saying goodbye with gratitude and deep emotion, Phoebus said he would always remember the young man with a clear heart, wonderful soul and dreams.
He added that while some people depart this life, they never truly leave ours.
