[custom_adv] Legendary vocalist Mohammadreza Shajarian was transferred to the northeastern Iranian town of Tus on Friday to be buried in the mausoleum of the epic Persian poet Ferdowsi on Saturday. [custom_adv] Known as Iran’s king of song who once called himself the “son of Iran”, he died on Thursday at 80 at Tehran’s Jam Hospital years after suffering from kidney cancer. [custom_adv] His death came as a great shock to his fans and the Iranian music community, a large group of which took to the streets near the hospital to mourn for the maestro. [custom_adv] His son, Humayun, appeared in the crowd in front of the hospital on Thursday night announcing that the funeral prayer for his father would be done in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Cemetery and he would be buried in Tus. [custom_adv] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, he said, “I can neither ask you to attend nor not to attend the funeral.”However, a large number of people attended the funeral prayer in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Cemetery on Friday. [custom_adv] “I will never believe that father has gone,” Humayun said after the prayer and added, “When I stand beside his coffin it is as if I’ve stood beside the grave of Molana [Rumi], because he is like Molana for me.” [custom_adv] Social media exploded with messages from his fans, colleagues and cultural officials.In his Instagram post, four-time Grammy Award nominee Kayhan Kalhor wrote, “The soul left the body of song.” [custom_adv] In a video, legendary vocalist Shahram Nazeri sang part of Shajarian’s hit “Morghe Sahar” and said, “Mohammadreza Shajarian is unforgettable, he is eternal and his memory lives on forever.” [custom_adv] On its Twitter, the United Nations office in Tehran, wrote, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Maestro Mohammadreza Shajarian. The UN Iran Family extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Shajarian’s family and fans from Iran and all over the world.” [custom_adv] President Hassan Rouhani also sent a message of condolences.“The passing of the famous Iranian singer and artist Mohammadreza Shajarian caused a great deal of grief and sorrow,” he said. [custom_adv] “This prominent artistic figure, and creator of the most enduring, pleasant melodies of Iran, and singer of the Rabbana track left a valuable and attractive legacy with his artistic taste and great efforts,” he added. [custom_adv] Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi was also among the officials who expressed sympathy with Shajarian’s family and fans. [custom_adv] After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the presidential election in 2009, Shajarian adopted a tough stance on Ahmadinejad. His criticism of the president was viewed by some people as enmity to the Islamic Republic as a whole. [custom_adv] However, in an interview conducted by the Persian daily Iran at that time, Shajarian denied this view and said his criticism centered on Ahmadinejad and not the whole government. [custom_adv] It was deeply shocking for his fans and the Iranian music community when the icon of Persian traditional music appeared in a video in the early days of Noruz, the celebration of the Iranian New Year celebration, in March 2016, wishing a happy New Year for Iranians and announcing that he was suffering from chronic kidney cancer. [custom_adv] The two-time Grammy Award nominee called the disease “a 15-year-old guest” that is “friendly” with him and added that he would soon return to the stage, a dream that would never come true.