#OBITUARY: Hayko from Armenia has died aged 44

Eurovision Ireland is sorry to hear of the death of Armenia’s Hayk ‘Hayko’ Hakobyan (Հայկ Հակոբյան). He was 44.

Hayko participated in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Anytime you need. He had already qualified for the Grand Final in Helsinki, and finished in a respectable eighth place.

In his time, Hayko had won numerous awards in Armenia and beyond. This includes the Moscow 96 Festival, the Big Apple Festival in New York, a best writer award at the 1998 Yes Sing Festival in Armenia. In the annual Armenian Music Awards, he won the best singer of the year four times, most recently in 2006.

After Eurovision his success continued, receiving various composer awards for film soundtracks

Here’s his Grand Final performance in Helsinki in 2007.

Eurovision Ireland’s thoughts are with Hayko’s family and friends at this sad time.

Hayko Hakobyan – 25 August 1973 to 29 September 2021

Author: John Stanton

Source: Eurovision Ireland, Armenian Press