BEIRUT: Renowned musician Iman Homsi, known as the “the lady of the qanun”, passed away Wednesday at the age of 45, the National News Agency reported. The report added that Homsi, the most prominent Qanun player in Lebanon, died after struggling with an illness.Homsi graduated in 1991 from the High National Musical Institute in Lebanon and obtained a diploma from the Academy of Lebanese Arts three years later.

She was experienced with western music, and developed her own technique of playing the string instrument by using 10 fingers instead of the traditional method of only using two.

Homsi has taken part in several international festivals in Europe, Asia, Africa and in several Arab countries. She collaborated with Fairuz in 1999 when she played with the singer’s orchestra during several concerts in Tunisia, Kuwait, Jordan, the U.S., France as well as various other countries.