Who was Halid Beslic: Voice of resilience during Bosnian War dies at 72

Folk music lovers across the former Yugoslavia are mourning the passing of legendary folk singer Halid Beslic, who died at age 72 on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.

He has been hospitalized since August. Halid music was celebrated by generations for four decades across Bosnia.

During a career spanning over four decades, Beslic released 19 studio albums, with dozens of songs that became hits among people of all age groups.

Even in his absence, his songs were sung by others, embodying a collective cultural identity across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, and beyond.

Beslic was born on November 20, 1953, in Sokolac some 50 kilometers away from Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia.

Halid Beslic was one of those rare artists who lived a modest life, free from scandals, and was generally known as a “man of the people".

During the Bosnian War of 1992-95, Beslic played the role of a true patriotic artist for his country; he held over 500 concerts around Europe to highlight the plight of the humanitarian crisis at the time.

Beslic had a strong connection with the audience, many of his colleagues have been pouring heartfelt tributes on his death.

His former colleague, actor Enis Beslagic shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram.

He wrote, “who will now fill that void with the uniqueness, sincerity, and good-hearted humanity that you lived with every breath? You Bosnian king, who we all claim as our own and call ours.”

Beslic once disclosed how he would like to be remembered after his death: “I’d like to be remembered, when I’m gone, as a good man-not as a good singer.”

Beslic frequently emphasized helping the poor in his media appearances. Years ago, he stated,  ”I could drive flashy cars and shoot million-dollar music videos too, but why would I do that when my neighbor doesn’t have bread to eat?"

"It gives me satisfaction to feed him, to go to a public kitchen, to contribute, to feed a hundred hungry mouths today, or to donate money to a children’s home.”