Acclaimed Georgian singer, actress Manana Menabde dies aged 77

Manana Menabde, a celebrated Georgian singer, actress, writer and painter, has died at the age of 77, her family confirmed on Tuesday. 

Born in 1948 into the family of the Ishkhneli Sisters, Menabde began her career performing with the Rero orchestra. Over the decades she became known for her distinctive interpretations of Georgian, Russian and European songs, romances and musical pieces.

Her voice first appeared on film in Lana Gogoberidze’s Day Is Longer Than Night (1982), which won the Audience Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Menabde both sang her own songs and played one of the leading roles in the film. She later starred in the 1986 musical epic Arsena’s Poem, directed by Nana Khatisashvili and Tengiz Magalashvili, and in 1991 appeared again under Khatisashvili’s direction in the television drama Wisdom of Lies.

Alongside her film career, Menabde collaborated with Georgian folk-jazz ensembles Shin and Adio, and worked as a director in the music department of Georgian Radio and Television.