Rima Assi Rahbani broke her silence regarding the circumstances that preceded the departure of her brother, the artist Ziad Rahbani, putting what she described as “dots on the letters” in response to the information, speculation, and rumors that were circulating about his health condition and his private life, and confirming that his departure came, according to her, as a result of “a mistake or medical negligence.”
Rima wrote, in a post on her Facebook account, that she was forced to address special details after they were widely circulated and some speculations were confirmed as if they were facts, stressing that she would limit herself to “headlines” without going into full details.
She denied that Ziad had suffered from liver or pancreas failure, or that he had reached a stage that required a liver transplant. She also denied that he needed financial assistance from the state or any other party.
She confirmed that his mother and sister were by his side “from the beginning of his life to the end of his life,” denying that he had surrendered or lost his desire to live, and said that he was clinging to life, loving it, fearing death, and fearing for himself.
Rima spoke about the faith aspect of her brother’s life, noting that he had been repeating the “Peace be upon you, Mary” prayer continuously for 15 years in front of his family members.
She revealed that Ziad lived with his family after the last concert he performed in Rahba, explaining that after he felt tired, he was afraid of being alone and preferred to be with his family.
In the most prominent revelations about the circumstances of his departure, Rima said: “Ziyad committed a mistake or medical negligence on the part of a referee who believed in them, and he categorically refused to consult others, and it seems that they did not believe in him,” adding that what happened was “a very big mistake.”
She expressed her anger at those who caused what happened, stressing that Ziad, despite being “sick and stubborn and tired,” should not have made such a mistake.
Rima explained that she preferred to be content with this amount, considering that these details did not concern anyone in the first place, but the large number of stories circulating prompted her to correct, expressing her hope that she would one day not have to publish the “full bulletin.”
At the conclusion of her post, Rima shared a text by Sheikh Hussein Ahmed Shehadeh, which she described as one of the most beautiful things written about Ziad, and thanked him, saying that he “understood Ziad more than many of the people who were around him.”
