Fellow performers across Greece and Cyprus paid tribute to singer Giorgos Mazonakis this week, honoring him with emotional speeches and performances of his best-known songs from stages in Cyprus, Thessaloniki and elsewhere.
Anna Vissi led the tributes during an appearance in Cyprus. She told the audience that a good man, a good artist and a friend to everyone had been lost, and that he was suddenly simply gone. She said the news had come as a shock to everyone, bringing deep sadness and deep frustration, because losing someone so unjustly and so quickly makes everyone reflect on a great many things.
Vissi then invited the crowd to sing quietly along with her, saying they might never know whether he could hear them, and that she felt his spirit was everywhere. She went on to perform "Aniko se Mena" ("I Belong to Myself"), one of Mazonakis's best-known hits.
Singer Elli Kokkinou chose the same song, "Aniko se Mena," to say her own goodbye.
Fellow singers dedicate his songs to him
Rapper Nikos Vourliotis paid tribute during a premiere alongside fellow performer Christos Cholidis, asking everyone in the venue to stand as a mark of respect for Mazonakis. The two then performed "Thelo na Yiriso" ("I Want to Return"), a song that had come out of an earlier collaboration between Vourliotis and Mazonakis.
Natasa Theodoridou, one of Greece's leading laiko singers and a regular collaborator of Mazonakis's over the years, chose to honor him with a song the two used to perform together. Speaking to the audience before she sang, she said she wanted people to keep him in their hearts and to love artists, because they are very sensitive people.
Melina Aslanidou appeared visibly moved as she took the stage. She told the crowd she felt a deep sadness, that a very good friend had left them, and that he had sung about everything: love and sorrow alike. She then performed "Ores Mikres" ("Small Hours").
Singer Ioulia Kallimani chose the same song, "Ores Mikres," to honor Mazonakis's memory during her own premiere.
Imiskoumbria's tribute in Thessaloniki
The duo Imiskoumbria, known for blending music with comedy, marked his passing differently during a concert in Thessaloniki celebrating thirty years since the group's formation. From the stage, the pair called out Mazonakis's name three times, and the audience answered each time with a single word: "kenó," meaning "a void."
Mazonakis was a leading figure in contemporary Greek popular music, with a career spanning decades and a catalogue of hits that became staples of concert stages across Greece and Cyprus, including "Aniko se Mena" and "Ores Mikres," both performed by multiple artists in tribute this week.
Wake and funeral arrangements
Tributes continued at other concerts in the days that followed, including one from singer Antonis Remos, who also performed "Aniko se Mena" in Mazonakis's memory during a show in Thessaloniki.
Mazonakis's body was placed for a public wake in Nikaia, with his funeral held afterward.
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