Arsen Dedić

Arsenije Dedić
Arsenije Dedić in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Arsenije Dedić
Also known as	Arsen
Born	28 July 1938 Šibenik, Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Died	17 August 2015(2015-08-17) (aged 77) Zagreb, Croatia
Genres	Chanson, Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, poet
Years active	1958–2015
Labels	Jugoton, Croatia Records
Associated acts	Gabi Novak
Website	arsen.hr

Arsenije "Arsen" Dedić (pronounced [ǎrsen děːditɕ]; 28 July 1938 – 17 August 2015) was a Croatian singer-songwriter, one of the most prominent Serbs from Dalmatia. Dedić wrote and performed chansons as well as film music. He was also an award-winning poet and was one of the best-selling poets of former Yugoslavia.

Arsenije Dedić was born in Šibenik, in the Littoral Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as the second child of Jovan Dedić and Veronika (née Mišković). His father Jovan was ethnic Serb, an Orthodox Christian, while his mother Jelka was Croat who converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy after marrying Jovan. His father was a bricklayer, volunteer firefighter, and musician, and his mother was an illiterate housewife, whom Arsenije later taught. Arsen was baptized in the Orthodox Church under the name Arsenije, after Archbishop Arsenije III Čarnojević. He finished music school. He and his older brother Milutin Dedić left Šibenik for Zagreb and Belgrade, respectively, in 1957. Arsen studied law at Zagreb but dropped out in 1959, enrolling in the Music Academy of Zagreb, receiving a diploma in 1964.

Arsenije became a household name in the 1960s, thanks to pop music festivals and his brand of music, which was at first influenced by Dalmatian folklore, but is mostly comparable to the French chanson genre. Throughout the decades Dedić became one of the most respected musicians in former SFR Yugoslavia and maintained this reputation to this day. He used to say: "Belgrade created me". Dedić died 17 August 2015 in Zagreb, Croatia. He was 77 years old.