Renowned Somali singer and composer Ahmed Ali Igaal dies in the United States

Friday July 31, 2026

Mogadishu (HOL) — Ahmed Ali Igaal, one of Somalia’s most celebrated singers, composers and musicians, has died in the United States, where he had been living in recent years. He was in his late 70s.

His family and friends confirmed that he died on Friday. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Ahmed Ali Igaal was among the pioneers of Somali music, with a career as a singer, composer and songwriter that produced dozens of songs for some of Somalia’s leading artists, alongside many of his own recordings. His work helped shape the country’s modern musical heritage.

Born in the late 1940s in Wardheer in the Dollo region, Igaal moved to Mogadishu in the early 1960s, where he continued his education and began the artistic journey that would make him one of Somalia’s most influential musicians.

His breakthrough came in 1964 when Radio Mogadishu broadcast his first song, “Bari iyo Galbeed, Keebaa na Baantay?” The song was warmly received and launched a career that spanned more than half a century.

He later enrolled at the School of Music, where he studied composition and performance. His talent quickly gained recognition, and he contributed music to some of Somalia’s most celebrated stage productions, including Talo iyo Tallaabo, Yaxaas Dhagaduub and Shabeelnaagood.

For more than 50 years, Igaal was a member of the famed Waaberi National Band, Somalia’s most influential cultural ensemble. During that time, he composed and arranged music for numerous classic Somali songs, including Batalaale, Candaliibka, Raad Abeeso, Dadnimada Aqoonso, Galaydh, Feejignow, Haasaawe, Gayaan, Gacallo and Caraweelo, works that remain enduring favorites in Somali music.

Throughout his career, Igaal was admired not only for his distinctive voice and musical talent but also for his contribution to preserving and enriching Somali poetry and culture through song.

His death marks the loss of one of the country’s most influential cultural figures. His music and artistic legacy are expected to continue inspiring future generations of Somali musicians and audiences, securing his place as one of the architects of modern Somali music.