Emina Zečaj
Emina Zečaj ("née" Ahmedhodžić; 17 March 1929 – 19 April 2020) was a Bosnian interpreter of the traditional folk music, sevdalinka. Zečaj was called an "icon of traditional Bosnian music" by American "Billboard" magazine in 2004. Early life. Emina was born in Sarajevo's Old Town, in what is today Bosnia and Herzegovina on 17 March 1929. She was the daughter of Avdija Ahmedhodžić and his wife Melća. Career. Professor Cvjetko Rihtman, an ethnomusicologist, discovered her in the early 1960s. Following persuasion from her friends, Emina auditioned before two well known professors, Zvonimir Nevžela and Beluš Jungić, with the  folk songs "Kad se jangin iz sokaka pomoli" and "Poranila na vodicu Zlata". Ten days later she received a phone call from Ismet Alajbegović Šerbo informing her that she had been accepted into Radio Sarajevo, beating out 30 other contestants. Zečaj recorded music for the 2003 drama-comedy film "Fuse". She also collaborated with Adi Lukovac on the soundtrack for the 2003 war film "Remake" ("Remake - soundtrack"). It was Lukovac's final project before dying in a car accident three years later. Death. Zečaj was in good health until shortly before her death at age 91. She died on the  night of 19 April 2020 in her home. She had attended the funeral of Beba Selimović the previous month at Sarajevo's Bare Cemetery where she was also buried in a Muslim cemetery on 22 April 2020.