☆ Muslim Magomaev ☆

Muslim Magomaev represented one of the most respected artistic dinasties in Azerbaijan . His grandfather Muslim Magomaev , a friend and contemporary of the prominent Azeri composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov , was one of the founders of the Azeri-composed music . Magomaev`s father , Mahammad Magomaev , who died 2 days prior to the defead of Nazy Germany in World War II while serving as a soldier in the Soviet Army , was a gifted scenic designer , his , mother , Aishet Magomaeva , was an actress . Muslim Magomaev finished the piano and composition class of the musical school at Baku Conservatorie , and then graduated from the school`s vocal class . He was 19 when he first performed , at an international youth music festival in Helsinki . In 1962 , at the age of 20 , he first appeared in Moscow where he performed within the frameworks of the Days of Azerbaijan Culture . He sang 2 musical pieces in a gala-concert on the USSR`s main stage , Kremlin Palase , and became a celebrity on a spur of the moment . In 1964-65 he was on probation in the La Scala theatre in Milan , but turned down the invitation to sing in the Moscow Bolshoi Theater upon his return . Instead , the singer turned to popular music , becoming a pop idol in the Soviet Union . He quickly became a cult figure and his albums sold millions . In 1965 and 1969 Magomaev performed in Paris Olympia with great success . In 1969 he received MIDEM Gold Disc Award in Cannes for the album sales of over 4,5 million units . In 1973 , at the age of 31 , Muslim was awarded the Soviet Union`s highest artistic title : People`s Artist of the USSR...Magomaev was also known as a composer , writing several film soundtracks . In 1997 , in recognition of Magomaev`s professional successes , a Russian Astronomical Society named a planetoid of the Solar System , 4980 Magomaev . Magomaev died in 2008 from heart attack...He was buried in the Alley of Honors of Baku , next to his grandfather...