Iconic musician Shmulik Kraus, a pioneer of Israeli rock music, was laid to rest before hundreds of loved ones on Monday afternoon, in a brief ceremony in Petah Tikva.
Kraus passed away Sunday night of swine flu at Ichilov Hospital at Souraksy Medical Center in Tel Aviv at the age of 77. On Monday mourners recalled him as a gifted artist with an out-sized influence on Israeli culture, and a man plagued by the turmoil of his personal life.
Actor Shlomo Vishinsky, said his friend was “like an Israeli Ernest Hemingway” both because of the cultural imprint he left, and the hectic lifestyle he lead.
Vishinsky said he was Kraus’ commander during the Six Day War, said “every young person who play music has Shmulik’s tunes in his head. He brought us all times of things that weren’t in Israel before, that weren’t part of our music.”
