French-Algerian singer Rachid Taha dies in Paris home

The 59-year-old singer, who introduced audiences to 'Ya Rayah', died of a heart attack in his sleep

Algerian singer Rachid Taha performs in Toulouse, south-western France for the 15th edition of the Rio Loco festival, in 2009. AFP

French-Algerian singer Rachid Taha died of a heart attack in his sleep at his Paris home, according to French media reports. He was 59 years old.

Taha was born in the city of Oran, Algeria, but moved to France with his family at the age of 10.

His music was unique, mixing traditional Algerian rai music with electronic rock. In the 1990s, Taha released a remixed version of the song Ya Rayah, a traditional Algerian song by Dahmane El Harrachi. The song hit the French music charts and launched Taha to international fame.

According to Le Parisien, he had just finished working on a new album that was to be released in early 2019 by record label Believe.

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