India, July 26 -- Ziad Rahbani, one of Lebanon's most influential cultural voices and a fearless critic of political powers, has died at the age of 69.

"On Saturday at 9:00 am (0600 GMT), the heart of the great artist and creator Ziad Rahbani stopped beating," read a statement from the Beirut hospital where he had been undergoing treatment.

The news of his death on Saturday was confirmed by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency and later by a source close to the family, though the exact cause of death remains unknown.

Born on 1 January 1956in Antelias, a coastal town just outside Beirut, Rahbani came into the world already surrounded by greatness. His mother was Fairuz, Lebanon's most beloved and iconic singer, and his father, Assi ...