Ofra Haza

Ofra Haza (עָפְרָה חָזָה; November 19, 1957 - February 23, 2000) was a popular Yemenite Israeli singer.

She made her international debut at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, which she very narrowly failed to win for Israel with the song "Chai". Ofra Haza had a worldwide hit in 1988 with "Im Nina'lu" from the album Fifty Gates of Wisdom.

Her international hits also included "Temple of Love (Touched by the Hand of Ofra Haza)" with the Leeds-based post-punk band The Sisters of Mercy in 1992, and "My Love Is for Real" with Paula Abdul in 1995. She also sang in the animated film The Prince of Egypt (1998).

Her Israeli hits include "Shir ha-Frekha" ("The Bimbo Song", the theme from the movie Shlager, in which she also acted) and "le-Orekh ha-Yam" ("Along the Shore").

Haza, who came from the poor Tel Aviv neighborhood of Hatikvah, at one time almost a slum, was a success story and the subject of pride on behalf of many Israelis of Yemenite origin. She died of an AIDS-related illness in 2000, having contracted the disease from a blood transfusion in 1980.

Trivia

• Ofra Haza refused in 1990 to an offer by Michael Jackson to collaborate in a global tour.
• British DJs Coldcut contributed to the succes of "Im Nina'lu" by using it in their remix of Eric B and Rakim's "Paid in Full".