Agathonas Iakovidis, who represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmo, Sweden has passed away at the age of 65. He performed the entry “Alcohol Is Free” with the band Koza Mostra, going on to finish 6th in the Grand Final. Lead singer of Koza Mostra, Elias Kozas, has led the tributes to the Rebetiko legend.
According to Eurovision Fun, Agathonas passed away yesterday from a suspected heart attack. He was 65 years old. Although he is most known to Eurovision fans for his participation in Malmo 2013 (and his incredible moustache), he had a long career in is native Greece prior to the contest.
The child of refugees from Asia Minor, Agathonas was born in Evangelismos in 1955. He was a self-taught musician and started his career back in 1973. He released his first album in 1977 and went on to be well known for performing Rebetiko music. Rebetiko is a genre associated with the poor urban youth in Greece in the 19th and 20th century, and was officially added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists back in 2017.
Tribute from Elias Kozas
Following the news of his death, fellow Eurovision co-star and former student Elias Kozas led tributes to Agathonas. Elias is the lead vocalist of Koza Mostra, and had convinced Agathonas to perform with the band at Eurovision back in 2013
In a post on his Facebook page, Elias Kozas said the following:
Father, brother, friend. It was my honour to have met you… Now did you find time to hurry? Until we meet again!
Elias Kozas
You can revisit his Eurovision performance from Malmo 2013 below:
Αναπαύσου εν ειρήνη Αγάθωνας! (Rest in Peace)