Zvika Pick, ‘Israel’s King of Pop, dies at 72

• Zvika Pick was Quentin Tarantino’s father-in-law.
• He was known as Israel’s King of Pop.
• How did he die?

Singer and musician Zvika Pick, known as «Israel’s King of Pop» and who was the father-in-law of the renowned filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, died on Sunday at the age of 72. According to local media, the artist died in his house in Ramat Hasharon, near Tel Aviv, after having suffered a stroke four years ago.

There has long been speculation about his health, especially after he canceled two concerts this year. Pick rose to fame during the 1970s, when he was voted Israeli Male Singer of the Year. After several years as an independent artist, in 1978 he broke records by releasing his album Music, although critics were initially skeptical. FILED UNDER: Zvika Pick Dies

Who was Zvika Pick?

Henryk (Zvika) Pick was born in Wrocław, Poland, to Jewish parents. His grandfather was the director of a music school and his uncle was a music teacher. At the age of five, Pick studied classical music. In 1957, his family immigrated to Israel. He became a great singer in that country.

Pick studied music at the Ramat Gan Conservatory and began playing in local Israeli rock bands at the age of 15. He married the composer Mirit Shem-Or. Shem-Or wrote the lyrics for many of Pick’s hits, including Mary Lou, which was about her. FILED UNDER: Zvika Pick Dies

Father of Quentin Tarantino’s wife

After divorcing, they continued to collaborate artistically. They had a son and two daughters. His daughters, Sharona and Daniella Pick, have performed duets as The Pick Sisters. Sharona is married to Israeli hotelier Daniel Federmann, the son of businessman Michael Federmann.

According to EFE, Daniella is married to filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, a renowned Hollywood director who has worked on great films such as Inglorious Bastards. Pick also had a relationship with Israeli fashion designer Shira Manor, with whom he had two children, Tim and Neal. FILED UNDER: Zvika Pick Dies

Zvika Pick became Israel’s King of Pop

Pick was one of Israel’s leading pop singers in the 1970s, during which he was voted «Israeli Male Singer of the Year». He played a leading role in the Hebrew version of the musical Hair in the early 1970s. In 2003 he composed the song Hasta la vista with Shem-Or, to whom he was married to at the time.

From 2005 to 2009, Pick was one of the judges on the singing reality show Kokhav Nolad (the Israeli version of American Idol) which aired on Channel 2. In 2005, Pick starred in the docu-reality series HaMaestro which aired on Bip and followed the daily life of him and his family. FILED UNDER: Zvika Pick Dies

How did he die?

“Zvika passed away today, but the songs and melodies he left behind will continue to be played for many years to come,” Israeli acting Prime Minister Yair Lapid wrote on Twitter. In turn, the president described him as a «revolutionary artist of his generation and one of the pillars of Israeli pop.»

In regards to the cause of his death, Israeli media reported that Zvika Pick died from the effects of a stroke, which he suffered four years ago and for which he had to slow down the pace of his artistic career. FILED UNDER: Zvika Pick Dies