Uzay Hepari
Rony Uzay Heparı (24 July 1969 – 31 May 1994) was a Turkish musician, composer, producer, arranger, and actor. Heparı received classical music training as a child. In the mid-1980s, during his high school years, he joined the Istanbul Gelişim Orchestra, conducted by Garo Mafyan, and developed his skills on the electric keyboard. Heparı, a fan of MFÖ in the 1980s, developed an interest in pop music. Having studied classical music throughout his childhood, he began to shift his style in his early teens. At 19, he began his career playing piano on Zuhal Olcay's album Küçük Bir Öykü (1988). At the same time, he was studying at the Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music State Conservatory.
Heparı rose to fame in the music world with his arrangements for numerous pop albums from the early 1990s onwards. Later, he joined Sezen Aksu's band. He contributed to some of the major albums of the period with his arrangements and compositions, such as Aşkın Nur Yengi's Hesap Ver (1991) and Sıramı Bekliyorum (1993), Sertab Erener's Sakin Ol! (1992) and Lâ'l (1994), Sezen Aksu's Deli Kızın Türküsü (1993), Levent Yüksel's Med Cezir (1993), and Demet Sağıroğlu's Kınalı Bebek (1994). He also appeared in music videos for several artists. In 1993, he made his acting debut with a leading role in the film Gece, Melek ve Bizim Çocuklar (1994), directed by Atıf Yılmaz.
On 20 May 1994, while working on Demet Sağıroğlu's first album, he crashed with his recently purchased motorcycle into the broken-down car of actress Demet Akbağ on his way to a show at the Küfe Bar on the Etiler Koç Bridge. He suffered a severe neck fracture and died on 31 May 1994, after spending 11 days in vegetative state at Istanbul International Hospital (now Acıbadem International Hospital). Heparı, despite dying at a young age, is known as one of the best arrangers in Turkish pop music history.
Similar Artists